ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has affected more than 529 million people, and today the world is facing different mutant strains of the virus, leading to increased morbidity rates, fatality rates, and surfacing re-infections. Various therapies, such as prophylactic treatments, repurposed drug treatments, convalescent plasma, and polyclonal antibody therapy have been developed to help combat the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). AREA COVERED: This review article provides insights into the basic aspects of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) for the therapy of COVID-19, as well as its advancement in terms of clinical trial and current approval status. EXPERT OPINION: Monoclonal antibodies represents the most effective and viable therapy and/or prophylaxis option against COVID-19, and have shown a reduction of the viral load, as well as lowering hospitalizations and death rates. In different countries, various mAbs are undergoing different phases of clinical trials, with a few of them having entered phases III and IV. Due to the soaring number of cases worldwide, the FDA has given emergency approval for the mAb combinations bamlanivimab with etesevimab and casirivimab with imdevimab.
Subject(s)
COVID-19 , Antibodies, Monoclonal/therapeutic use , Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized , Antibodies, Neutralizing/therapeutic use , COVID-19/therapy , Humans , Immunization, Passive , SARS-CoV-2 , COVID-19 SerotherapyABSTRACT
Pancreatic cancer is a very aggressive disease and survival remains dismal even with treatment. Currently, management of patients with pancreatic cancer has been complicated by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Medical oncologists face the dilemma of whether to treat or to not treat these patients who are at high-risk of complications and even death from COVID-19. No current guidelines are available and our limited experience at this time makes it more difficult to manage these patients. Although we have general strategies available from experience in Italy, we need more treatment specific strategies to help mitigate risks of complications and toxicities from chemotherapy in order to protect our patients from COVID-19 as much as possible.
ABSTRACT
COVID-19 has now been declared a global pandemic with evolving incidence rates and fatalities. It is important to identify vulnerable populations who will be impacted most by this pandemic leading to higher mortality rates compared to the general healthy population. Although older patients and patients with co-morbidities fall into this vulnerable group, patients with hematologic and oncologic malignancies on active cytotoxic treatments are at even greater risk as they are both myelosuppressed and immunosuppressed. In addition to following the universal guidelines recommended by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), it is important to also institute guidelines for cancer centers to help protect this vulnerable population. We review the current data, risks, and recommendations for COVID-19 in cancer patients.
ABSTRACT
Pancreatic cancer is a very aggressive disease and survival remains dismal even with treatment. Currently, management of patients with pancreatic cancer has been complicated by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Medical oncologists face the dilemma of whether to treat or to not treat these patients who are at high-risk of complications and even death from COVID-19. No current guidelines are available and our limited experience at this time makes it more difficult to manage these patients. Although we have general strategies available from experience in Italy, we need more treatment specific strategies to help mitigate risks of complications and toxicities from chemotherapy in order to protect our patients from COVID-19 as much as possible.