Considerations for cancer immunotherapy biomarker research during COVID-19

• Authors: Jennifer Carlisle, Emory University; Caroline S. Jansen, Emory University; Mehmet Bilen, Emory University; Haydn Kissick, Emory University
• Journal Title: Endocrine-Related Cancer
• Volume: Volume 27, Number 9
• Publisher: Bioscientifica Ltd. | 2020-09-01, Pages C1-C8
• Type of Work: Article | Post-print: After Peer Review
• Publisher DOI: http://doi.org/10.1530/ERC-20-0187
• Subjects: Biology, Cell; Health Sciences, Rehabilitation and Therapy; Health Sciences, Oncology; Health Sciences, Immunology; Health Sciences, Epidemiology
• Keywords: Science & Technology; Life Sciences & Biomedicine; Oncology; Endocrinology & Metabolism; To-lymphocyte ratio; C-Reactive protein; Renell-cell carcinoma; B-cell; Differentiation; Therapy; Effector; Association; Infection; Responses

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic continues to profoundly impact the function of medical oncology practices across the globe. With constantly evolving recommendations, clinicians are pushed to extrapolate data and apply foundational principles of oncology to balance risks and benefits for each individual and their treatment options (Lewis, 2020). Large registries have been established to collect clinical and outcome data on patients with cancer who become infected with the novel SARS-CoV-2 including the American Society of Clinical Oncology Survey on COVID-19 in Oncology Registry, the American Society of Hematology Research Collaborative COVID-19 Registry, and the COVID-19 and Cancer Consortium (https://www.asco.org/asco-coronavirus-information/coronavirus-registry accessed Apr 24 2020, https://www.ashresearchcollaborative.org/covid-19-registry accessed Apr 25 2020, https://ccc19.org accessed Apr 27 2020). While patient safety and clinical care remain paramount, the immune repercussions of SARS-CoV-2 viral infection on cancer immunology research efforts need to be carefully considered. Herein, we review the T cell response to acute viral infection, explore the overlap among markers of T cell activation in response to immunotherapy and in viral infections, highlight similarities in systemic inflammatory profiles in these two settings, and discuss practical considerations for clinical and research programs.