Emerging Molecular and Clinical Challenges in Managing Lung Cancer Treatment during the Covid-19 Infection

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic now had a broad impact on the health care system since its start. Cancer patients, specifically lung cancer patients, are undergoing a more vulnerable group due to their complex pathophysiological and immunological characteristics. Therefore, they need more attention and care about health and treatment. It is yet unknown how SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) infected lung cancer patient's health and management of treatment impacts them. From a clinical and multidisciplinary perspective, we aimed to explain our main priorities concerning COVID-19 infection in the scenario of lung cancer patients’ group in this chapter. Various types of lung cancer therapeutic strategies, including chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and immunotherapy, can all significantly increase the risk, therefore making a patient's chances of a poor outcome higher. Patients with lung cancer need regular clinical and radiologic examinations and follow-ups, which the COVID-19 pandemic might hamper. COVID-19-related lung cancer patients’ incidental radiologic abnormalities might show up in regular radiology exams, making it challenging to understand disease progression and the effect of therapy. The COVID-19 pandemic has profoundly impacted lung cancer care, highlighting challenges in patient management, treatment outcomes, and ethical dilemmas. Quantitative analysis and exploration of future directions would enhance clinical and research impact. In addition, cancer treatment-induced pneumonitis can exhibit radiologic characteristics that are identical to those seen in acute SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia, possibly due to a wrong diagnosis and misinterpretation. The current COVID-19 health crisis is affecting many healthcare requirements, including the necessity for regular healthcare accessibility, particularly follow-ups, and the clinical trials in which this patient group may be included. The COVID-19 epidemic has placed healthcare practitioners, scientists, researchers, and institutions in a complex and dangerous situation, forcing them to address challenges with ethical scenarios.