Cancer Epidemiology
Zohreh Shahhosseini; Fatemeh Hamidi
Abstract
Coronaviruses are important human and animal pathogens. In December 2019, a new virus from the coronavirus family, called coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), triggered the outbreak of pneumonia from Wuhan across China. The virus originated in bats and was transmitted to humans through unknown intermediate ...
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Coronaviruses are important human and animal pathogens. In December 2019, a new virus from the coronavirus family, called coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), triggered the outbreak of pneumonia from Wuhan across China. The virus originated in bats and was transmitted to humans through unknown intermediate animals. Currently, the lives of millions of people around the world are affected by the crisis caused by the outbreak of COVID-19 diseases, which has brought huge economic and social costs. Despite the efforts made in many countries to reduce the risks and the negative effects of this crisis, the damage and the resulting costs are still increasing. People with cancer are among the groups that need more attention and are highlighted as high-risk groups. The risk of morbidity and mortality from COVID-19 as a consequence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection is not uniform. Evidence show that patients with cancer have an increased risk of developing severe forms of COVID-19 compared with the non-cancer population. It seems that cancer patients are at a higher risk of respiratory viruses such as influenza because of their frequently observed immunocompromised state. Patients with blood malignancies, such as non-Hodgkin lymphoma, chronic lymphocytic leukemia, acute myeloid leukemia, acute lymphoblastic leukemia, and multiple myeloma, along with those in active treatment for any type of cancer and people who have undergone bone marrow transplants are among the high-risk groups.