Seroprevalence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2(SARS-CoV-2)in patients with cancer and the impact of anti-tumor treatment on antibodies

Objective The aim of this study was to examine the seroprevalence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2(SARS-CoV-2)among patients with cancer and followed up changes in SARS-CoV-2-specific antibodies to explore the impact of anti-tumor treatment in patients.Methods Patients with cancer who visited the Outpatient Clinic of Oncology,Tongji Hospital,Tongji Medical College,Huazhong University of Science and Technology,Wuhan,China between March 9 and April 30,2020 were enrolled in this retrospective cohort study.SARS-CoV-2 immunoglobulin(Ig)G,IgM,and viral load at various time points during the disease course were determined.Results We examined the serological results of 779 patients with cancer.The overall seroprevalence(IgG-positive or IgM-positive)rate of SARS-CoV-2 was 3.4%.The probability of seropositivity was significantly higher in patients with gastric cancer than in those without gastric cancer(odds ratio:6.349,95%confidence interval:2.191–18.396).Follow-up data showed that SARS-CoV-2 IgM and IgG levels decreased and the polymerase chain reaction test result remained negative in seropositive patients with cancer.Conclusion This study investigated the seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 in coronavirus disease(COVID-19)-positive patients with cancer in Wuhan,China.The seropositivity in patients with cancer was lower than or similar to that in the general population.Irrespective of anti-tumor therapy,the levels of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies decreased in these patients.More studies are needed to better understand the impact of anti-tumor therapy on change in the levels of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies.

Targeting polarized phenotype of microglia via IL6/JAK2/ STAT3 signaling to reduce NSCLC brain metastasis

Tumor-associated macrophages have emerged as crucial factors for metastases.Microglia are indispensable components of the brain microenvironment and play vital roles in brain metastasis(BM).However,the underlying mechanism of how activated microglia promote brain metastasis of non-small cell lung cancer(NSCLC)remains elusive.