The pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2 has killed 430,000 people worldwide in the span of 6 months. Overall, cancer patients have a higher risk of severe illness and death if infected, although differences between distinct therapy regimens are possible (e.g. chemotherapy vs. immunotherapy vs. palliation). Cancer patients who have recovered from COVID-19 may need to resume treatment, including immunotherapy for their disease. However, the repercussions of this infection on their immune systems are unknown. Also, the impact of COVID-19 on the outcome of patients being treated with immunotherapies, that rely on a functional immune system with certain characteristics, is undetermined. This project will determine if cancer patients who have recovered from COVID- 19 have NK cells with different functionality than cancer patients who were not infected, and whether these phenotypes have an impact on the overall response rate and survival of this population.
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