Breast Cancer Reactivation: Respiratory Infections
Respiratory Infections May Trigger Cancer Metastasis in Remission patients, New Study Suggests
Table of Contents
New research indicates a importent link between COVID-19 and increased cancer recurrence, particularly in patients previously in remission.
The COVID-19 pandemic, while a global health crisis, has also presented a unique prospect for scientific inquiry into the intricate relationship between viral infections and cancer progression. A recent study, leveraging data from two large databases, has provided compelling evidence supporting the hypothesis that respiratory infections, specifically SARS-CoV-2, can reactivate dormant cancer cells and promote metastasis in patients who were in remission.
Unveiling the Link: UK Biobank Study
Researchers from Utrecht University and Imperial College London delved into the UK Biobank, a vast repository of health data from over 500,000 participants. their focus was on individuals diagnosed with cancer prior to the pandemic, with a particular emphasis on those who had been cancer-free for at least five years, indicating a high likelihood of remission.
The study compared the outcomes of 487 participants who tested positive for COVID-19 with 4,350 matched controls who remained COVID-19 negative. Crucially, individuals who died directly from COVID-19 were excluded from the analysis to isolate the impact of the virus on cancer progression itself.
Alarming Findings: Doubled Risk of Cancer Mortality
The results were striking. After accounting for COVID-19-related deaths,cancer patients who contracted COVID-19 exhibited an almost doubled risk of dying from their cancer compared to their COVID-19-negative counterparts. Dr. Vermeulen, a lead researcher on the study, noted that “The effect was most pronounced in the first year after infection.” This rapid acceleration of cancer progression in infected patients mirrors observations in animal models were dormant cancer cells showed rapid expansion following infection.
Reinforcing Evidence: U.S.Flatiron Health Database
To further validate their findings, the research team examined the U.S. Flatiron Health database. This dataset provided insights into female breast cancer patients treated at 280 U.S. cancer clinics. Drs. Junxiao Hu and Dexiang Gao analyzed the incidence of lung metastases in this cohort, comparing 36,216 COVID-19-negative patients with 532 COVID-19-positive patients.
Metastatic Progression to the Lungs
Over an approximate 52-month follow-up period, patients who contracted COVID-19 were found to be nearly 50% more likely to develop metastatic progression to the lungs than those breast cancer patients who did not have a COVID-19 diagnosis.
Implications for Cancer Survivors
“Our findings suggest that cancer survivors may be at increased risk of metastatic relapse after common respiratory viral infections,” stated Dr. Vermeulen. He emphasized that this particular study focused on the period before the widespread availability of COVID-19 vaccines, highlighting the potential impact of the virus itself.
Future Directions and Interventions
the research team is committed to understanding the underlying biological mechanisms that drive this phenomenon. Dr. DeGregori expressed the team’s dedication to developing interventions that can mitigate the risk of metastatic progression in cancer survivors who experience respiratory viral infections. Future research will expand these analyses to include other cancer types and metastatic sites,utilizing both animal models and further clinical data mining.
“Respiratory viral infections are forever a part of our lives, so we need to understand the longer-term consequences of these infections,” Dr. DeGregori concluded, underscoring the ongoing importance of this research for public health.
Source: University of Colorado Anschutz Medical campus
Journal Reference: Chia, S.B., et al. (2025) Respiratory viral infections awaken metastatic breast cancer cells in lungs. Nature*. doi.org/10.1038/s41586-025-09332-0