Immunocompromised cancer patients who are infected by SARS-CoV-2 are at risk of developing severe COVID-19 with potentially fatal complications. Biomarkers capable of predicting those most at risk could help physicians better treat these patients. Researchers led by Simone Anfossi, Ph.D., and George Calin, M.D., Ph.D., identified several microRNAs – small non-coding RNA molecules – located close to genomic regions associated with the severity and susceptibility of COVID-19.
The researchers analyzed plasma samples from 128 cancer patients infected by SARS-CoV-2. Levels of specific circulating microRNAs were associated with an increased risk of COVID-19-related death, making them an attractive prognostic biomarker. Further investigation is needed to understand this association, but similar methods could also identify at-risk patients for other common viral infections, like influenza, seasonal coronaviruses and cold viruses, which can negatively impact cancer patient prognoses.