• Special Issue Topic

    COVID-19 and Cancer

    Submission Deadline: June 30, 2021

    Guest Editor

    Prof. Rossana Berardi  E-Mail

    Professor in Medical Oncology and Director of the Postgraduate School of Medical Oncology at Università Politecnica Marche; Director of Department of Medical Oncology, Director of “Genetic Cancer” Center and Breast Unit Coordinator at Ospedali Riuniti of Ancona, Italy

    Research Keywords: thoracic cancer; breast cancer; neuroendocrine tumors; innovative therapies; COVID-19 and cancer


    About the Special Issue

    Since December 2019, SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has promptly spread to nearly every country overcoming 80 million of confirmed cases worldwide with 1.8 million of deaths. The huge number of infections and the rapid growth of cases put under strain many national health systems as well as health care professionals fighting the epidemic, thus more exposed to physical and psychological repercussions. Many governments announced national lockdowns of varying degrees, an extraordinary containment measure in order to rebalance resources foiling the spread of contagion. Furthermore, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccines have been developed and are now available to provide acquired immunity against SARS-CoV-2.

    While COVID-19 might potentially affect anyone, the majority (more than two-thirds) of deaths have occurred in people with concomitant conditions as diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular diseases, chronic lung diseases, cancer or a combination of these factors. In particular, cancer patients should be considered one of the most vulnerable population as a consequence of their systemic condition as well as of adverse events due to oncologic therapies. Furthermore, COVID-19 might delay cancer care postponing diagnosis and treatment and thus negatively affecting patients’ prognosis. 

    Based on these considerations, we released this special issue about COVID-19 and cancer in order to provide an exhaustive overview of this prevailing topic.

    Keywords: Cancer; COVID-19; pandemic; SARS-CoV-2; oncology

    Published Articles

    Open Access
    Review
    Telehealth in breast cancer following the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic
    Breast cancer (BC) is the second most diagnosed cancer in 2018 with around 2.3 million cases globally in 2020. In March 2020 and after its worldwide spread, the World Health Organization (WHO) decla [...] Read more.
    Jean Zeghondy ... Barbara Pistilli
    Published: December 26, 2023 Explor Target Antitumor Ther. 2023;4:1249–1259
    DOI: https://doi.org/10.37349/etat.2023.00195
    View:344
    Download:9
    Times Cited: 0
    Open Access
    Review
    Coronavirus disease 2019 and lung cancer: where are we?
    Oncology patients are more susceptible to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection due to hospital contact and an immunological system that can be compromised by antine [...] Read more.
    Abrahams Ocanto ... Felipe Couñago
    Published: October 30, 2023 Explor Target Antitumor Ther. 2023;4:1082–1094
    DOI: https://doi.org/10.37349/etat.2023.00182
    View:627
    Download:10
    Times Cited: 0
    Open Access
    Systematic Review
    Impact of coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic on good clinical practice trials in oncology
    Aim: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) became pandemic on 11th March 2020 and it deeply stressed the healthcare system. Cancer patients represent a vulnerable population, so many recommendation [...] Read more.
    Veronica Agostinelli ... Rossana Berardi
    Published: October 30, 2023 Explor Target Antitumor Ther. 2023;4:1095–1103
    DOI: https://doi.org/10.37349/etat.2023.00183
    View:517
    Download:6
    Times Cited: 0
    Open Access
    Systematic Review
    Effect of coronavirus disease 2019 on diagnosis and treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma: a systematic review
    Aim: Changes in strategies in the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) crisis and the imposing of restrictions have isolated many vulnerable patients including those with hepatocellular carcinoma  [...] Read more.
    Afrooz Mazidimoradi ... Hamid Salehiniya
    Published: October 26, 2023 Explor Target Antitumor Ther. 2023;4:1039–1058
    DOI: https://doi.org/10.37349/etat.2023.00179
    Open Access
    Original Article
    A single experience in the conduction of clinical trial during COronaVIrusDisease-2019 pandemic
    Aim: From the start of the pandemic, several aspects of healthcare policies changed, not least the clinical trials management from recruiting capabilities to the protocol compliance in terms of s [...] Read more.
    Zelmira Ballatore ... Rossana Berardi
    Published: September 07, 2023 Explor Target Antitumor Ther. 2023;4:793–800
    DOI: https://doi.org/10.37349/etat.2023.00168
    View:619
    Download:19
    Times Cited: 0
    Open Access
    Original Article
    Consequences of the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on breast cancer at a single Italian institution
    Aim: To evaluate the local impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on breast cancer (BC) care, with particular attention to the economical and psychological consequences of the [...] Read more.
    Daniele Ugo Tari ... Fabio Pinto
    Published: July 29, 2022 Explor Target Antitumor Ther. 2022;3:414–422
    DOI: https://doi.org/10.37349/etat.2022.00091
    Open Access
    Systematic Review
    Management of lung cancer patients during COVID-19 pandemic: dos, don’ts and don’t knows
    Aim: During the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic two needs have overlapped: on one hand continuing to provide the best care for patients with lung cancer and preventing the spread of the [...] Read more.
    Mariangela Torniai ... Rossana Berardi
    Published: June 10, 2022 Explor Target Antitumor Ther. 2022;3:321–336
    DOI: https://doi.org/10.37349/etat.2022.00085
    View:1023
    Download:35
    Times Cited: 0
    Open Access
    Original Article
    Performing oncological procedures during COVID-19 outbreak: a picture from an Italian cancer center
    Aim: Since SARS-CoV-2 infection rapidly spread around the world, Italy has quickly become one of the most affected countries. Healthcare systems introduced strict infection control measures to ensu [...] Read more.
    Maristella Bungaro ... Silvia Novello
    Published: October 31, 2021 Explor Target Antitumor Ther. 2021;2:481–489
    DOI: https://doi.org/10.37349/etat.2021.00058
    View:1193
    Download:34
    Times Cited: 0