Add fuel to the fire: Inflammation and immune response in lung cancer combined with COVID-19.

The corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19) global pandemic has had an unprecedented and persistent impact on oncological practice, especially for patients with lung cancer, who are more vulnerable to the virus than the normal population. Indeed, the onset, progression, and prognosis of the two diseases may in some cases influence each other, and inflammation is an important link between them. The original chronic inflammatory environment of lung cancer patients may increase the risk of infection with COVID-19 and exacerbate secondary damage. Meanwhile, the acute inflammation caused by COVID-19 may induce tumour progression or cause immune activation. In this article, from the perspective of the immune microenvironment, the pathophysiological changes in the lungs and whole body of these special patients will be summarised and analysed to explore the possible immunological storm, immunosuppression, and immune escape phenomenon caused by chronic inflammation complicated by acute inflammation. The effects of COVID-19 on immune cells, inflammatory factors, chemokines, and related target proteins in the immune microenvironment of tumours are also discussed, as well as the potential role of the COVID-19 vaccine and immune checkpoint inhibitors in this setting. Finally, we provide recommendations for the treatment of lung cancer combined with COVID-19 in this special group.

Retrospective analysis of clinical characteristics and laboratory results of COVID-19 patients

The positive detection of SARS-CoV-2 is the "gold standard" for diagnosing COVID-19. However, due to the low detection capacity of SARS-CoV-2 and the high false negative rate at the beginning of the epidemic, and the medical staff did not know much about the condition and treatment of COVID-19 patients. Therefore, our hospital paid more attention to the results of other laboratory indicators in the early stage of the epidemic of COVID-19. The aim of this study was to explore clinical characteristics and laboratory results of COVID-19 patients in Wuhan, China and provide evidence for the prevention and treatment of COVID-19. Retrospective study of 562 COVID-19 patients hospitalized in Wuhan Red Cross Hospital from January 28 to March 12, 2020 was performed. The patients were divided into 2 groups according to the severity of illness: Mild group (n = 436) and Severe group (n = 126). The general clinical characteristics of the patients were collected, including age, gender, past medical history, clinical symptoms, etc. All patients underwent blood routine test, biochemical indicators, blood gas analysis and other related laboratory examinations. The clinical data and laboratory results of the two groups were compared. Compared with the patients in the Mild group, the patients in Severe group were older and the proportion of patients suffering from underlying disease (61.11%) was higher (p < 0.05). In Severe group, WBC, NEUT, NLR, PCT, CRP, IL-6, ESR, CK, CK-MB, Mb, cTnI, D-D, Fib, and PaCO2 of patients had higher values, while the levels of LYMPH, HBG, PLT, PO2, and SaO2 were significantly reduced, and the differences were statistically significant (p < 0.05). Between Severe group and Mild group, there was no significant difference in other indexes such as ALT, Urea, and Cr (p > 0.05) or in the positive rate of influenza A, B virus, or other respiratory pathogens by pairwise comparison (p > 0.05). Viral infection and inflammation were more serious in elderly patients or patients with underlying diseases. They were more likely to progress to severely ill patients. Clinical manifestations and laboratory examinations were important basis for clinical classification and treatment. Therefore, Timely and accurate attention to these indicators is beneficial to prevent the deterioration of the disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of European Journal of Inflammation (Sage Publications, Ltd.) is the property of Sage Publications, Ltd. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)