Early data favors certain cancer treatments during pandemic

Reuters - 01/09/2021 - Certain cancer drugs may help protect patients with malignancies from being infected with the new coronavirus, preliminary data suggests.

The mTOR/PI3K inhibitors and antimetabolites target the parts of cells that the virus uses to enter and make copies of itself, including the "gateway" cell-surface protein angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2).

The study of 1,701 cancer patients found that after taking underlying risk factors into account, patients treated with mTOR/PI3K inhibitors or ACE2-lowering antimetabolites were 47% less likely to test positive for the virus than patients who received other drug therapies.

Gemzar (gemcitabine) from Eli Lilly appeared to be particularly promising, according to the report in JAMA Oncology.

The study does not prove that the drugs lowered infection rates, however, and much more research is needed to confirm their potential for protecting cancer patients from the coronavirus.

SOURCE: https://bit.ly/38icqN6 JAMA Oncology, online August 19, 2021.

By Reuters Staff



Posted on 1 September 202113 September 2021