New trial alert: NCI COVID-19 in cancer patients study

The National Cancer Institute (NCI) has launched a natural history study of COVID-19 in cancer patients.  Blood tests, medical history and imaging will be obtained from 2,000 cancer patients, who are more susceptible to serious illness if they contract COVID-19.  Anticipated outcomes of the trial include understanding genetic risk factors of COVID-19 diagnoses while patients are undergoing cancer treatment, as well as establish a repository of blood tests and imaging results for future research.

To learn more about this study, click here.

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Blog posts will resume week of May 25th

To all our Grey Horizon readers,

Postings will be postponed next week, resuming the week of May 25th.

Thank you and to all, say safe and well.

Lower antibodies rate in cancer patients after symptomatic COVID-19 than in healthcare workers

A new analysis conducted at the Centre Leon Gerard in Lyon, France has unveiled that cancer patients shoed a significantly lower detection rate of SARS-COV2 antibodies compared to healthcare workers 15 days or more after first exhibiting COVID-19 symptoms.  According to study reports led by Professor Jean-Yves Blay, "5 of 75 patents with cancer (5.9%) and 13 of 244 healthcare workers (5.4%) had detectable antibodies against COVID-19."  The study further claims that patients receiving anti-cancer treatment 1 month prior to being tested for COVID-19 had a higher rate of undetectable antibodies.

To read more about this study, click here.

Checkpoint target for colorectal cancer immunotherapy identified

New research from the Indiana University Melvin and Bren Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center have discovered a checkpoint target for colorectal cancer immunotherapy. Upon investigating patient tumour genetic data, researchers found "abundant expression of ST2 in macrophages in tumor tissue samples from early to late-stage colorectal cancer."

To read more about this study, click here.

Study mentioned: Van Der Jeught K et al. ST2 as checkpoint target for colorectal cancer immunotherapy. JCI Insight 2020. doc: 10.1172/jci.insight.136073

Cancer care on the front lines of COVID-19

The National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship (NCCS) has dedicated the latest issue of Health Care Roundup to cancer care among frontline staff for COVID-19 patients.  Entries for Health Care Roundup include a new study published by the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) on the higher risks of acquiring COVID-19 for cancer survivors, a podcast, presented in the style of a diary, on the experiences of an oncologist during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the COVID-19 Tracking Project comparing COVID-19 with other common causes of death including heart disease, cancer, flu, and car crashes.

To access the Health Care Roundup, click here.