SARS-CoV-2 as an Oncolytic Virus Following Reactivation of the Immune System: A Review

Abstract

The effects SARS-CoV-2 inflicts on human physiology, especially in patients who developed COVID-19, can range from flu-like symptoms to death, and although many lives have been lost during the pandemic, others have faced the resolution of aggressive neoplasms that were once considered with a poor prognosis following traditional treatments. The purpose of this review was to analyze several fortunate case reports and their associated biomolecular pathways to further explore new avenues that might provide oncological treatments in the future of medicine. We included papers that discussed cases in which patients affected by COVID-19 suffered beneficial changes in their cancer status. Multiple mechanisms which elicited a reactivation of the host’s immune system included cross-reactivity with viral antigens and downregulation of neoplastic cells. We were able to identify important cases presenting the resolution/remission of different aggressive neoplasms, for which, most of the time, standard-of-care treatments offered little to no possibility towards a cure. The intricacy of the defense mechanisms humans have adopted against cancer cells through the millennia are still not well understood, but SARS-CoV-2 has demonstrated that the same ruinous cytokine storm which has taken so many lives can paradoxically be the answer we have been looking for to recalibrate the immunological system to retarget and vanquish malignancies.

Impact of the COVID‐19 pandemic on the mortality among patients with colorectal cancer in Hiroshima, Japan: A large cancer registry study

“…The cumulative incidence of COVID‐19 in Hiroshima Prefecture was 0.8% (22,221/2,810,000) by the end of 2021, with a total of 202 deaths, so the increased mortality in patients with colorectal cancer cannot be attributed to the direct effects of COVID‐19 infections. In addition, several case reports have suggested that the immune response to COVID‐19 might suppress cancer progression 34,35 . Regarding the indirect effects of COVID‐19 and SES as potential risk factors, emerging evidence shows the impact of persistent symptoms following acute illness (“Long COVID”), and the psychological and financial impact of COVID‐19‐related isolation and social distancing on the health outcomes 36,37 .…”

“…In addition, several case reports have suggested that the immune response to COVID-19 might suppress cancer progression. 34,35 Regarding the indirect effects of COVID-19 and SES as potential risk factors, emerging evidence shows the impact of persistent symptoms following acute illness ("Long COVID"), and the psychological and financial impact of COVID-19-related isolation and social distancing on the health outcomes. 36,37 We also lack the details of comorbidities, performance status, and physical activities, which are important prognostic factors of colorectal cancer.…”

COVID‐19 and cancer: Dichotomy of the menacing dilemma

“…These multiple crosstalk and alternate avenues together lead to uncontrolled proliferation and unhindered spread of the virus. [34][35][36][37][38]…”

“…It is controlled by several factors including the presence of specific co‐receptors to infect cells with low ACE2 expression, the existence of alternative ACE2 pathways, and utilizing immune receptors. These multiple crosstalk and alternate avenues together lead to uncontrolled proliferation and unhindered spread of the virus 34–38 …”

Spontaneous Remission of High-Grade Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma After SARS-CoV-2 Infection

“…1,2 The precise mechanism remains incompletely understood, but bacterial and viral infections have been extensively documented as an immune system activation trigger in cases of spontaneous cancer remission. [2][3][4] Over the last 3 years, a limited number of cases describing the antitumor effect of SARS-CoV-2 have been reported in the literature, with only a small part of these involving patients who did not receive any antineoplastic treatment. Reported cases included patients diagnosed with lymphoma, multiple myeloma, chronic lymphocytic leukemia, renal cell carcinoma, and colorectal carcinoma, with most of the cases related to hematologic neoplasms, suggesting higher spontaneous remission rates for these malignancies.…”