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
Protecting the brain with chemistry
April 24, 2026
UC chemistry student Carter St. Clair will pursue his interest in computational chemistry through a new fellowship at the Air Force Research Laboratory. His topic: new applications in AI in human health.
A family tradition continues at UC College of Nursing
April 24, 2026
When Ashley Enginger walks across the stage at this spring’s commencement ceremony, she will leave behind a UC College of Nursing that her family is far from finished with. Her sister Sarah is already two years in, and their youngest sister Lauren is set to arrive in the fall.
UC, GE Aerospace celebrate Next Engineers grads
April 24, 2026
The University of Cincinnati played host in April to the graduation of this year’s class of the GE Aerospace Foundation’s Next Engineers, a global college- and career-readiness program that provides scholarship incentives for young people to become engineers.