WVXU: Certain cancer treatments & COVID-19 could lead to death
Recent research shows combinations of treatments given at certain times could mean worse outcomes
A University of Cincinnati study found that cancer patients undergoing a combination of chemotherapy and immunotherapy one to three months prior to a COVID-19 diagnosis have a greater risk of death than patients who haven't undergone cancer treatment in the past year.
These findings were presented Saturday at the European Society for Medical Oncology Virtual Congress 2020.
Lead author Trisha Wise-Draper, MD, PhD, associate professor of medicine in the Division of Hematology and Oncology at UC, UC Health oncologist and member of the UC Cancer Center, and her team analyzed 3,600 patients from 122 institutions across the country for this study.
"Any way you slice it, this is not good news for patients who are fighting cancer," she says. "Targeted therapies, especially those causing immune cell depletion, used one to three months before (the diagnosis of COVID-19) are associated with very high mortality, up to 50%."
Photo of chemotherapy courtesy of the National Cancer Institute.
Next Lives Here
The University of Cincinnati is classified as a Research 1 institution by the Carnegie Commission and is ranked in the National Science Foundation's Top-35 public research universities. UC's graduate students and faculty investigate problems and innovate solutions with real-world impact. Next Lives Here.
Related Stories
‘GangTok’: Study provides insights about the presence of gang culture on Tiktok
May 12, 2026
John Leverso, an assistant professor in the UC School of Criminal Justice, is lead author of the research, 'GangTok: Street gang content, culture, and roleplay on TikTok' published recently in Crime, Media, Culture: An International Journal.
Is there anything to fear from Hantavirus?
May 12, 2026
The University of Cincinnati's Carl Fichtenbaum, MD, professor of clinical medicine in the Division of Infectious Diseases in the Department of Internal Medicine at the College of Medicine, recently appeared on Scott Sloan's show on 700 WLW to share facts surrounding Hantavirus.
College of Medicine alumnae and faculty chair support shared alma mater
May 12, 2026
Michael A. Thomas, MD,[MS1.1] and Cincinnati OB-GYN Megan Kessler, MD, Med ’92 met in the hallways of the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine in the early 1990s.