“SARS-COV-2 and cancer: So, what's the evidence, can SARS-COV-2 itself cause cancer, & separately can it increase risk & rapidity of death from existing cancers, & reactivate dormant cancers?

Let's start with what causes cancer 🧵”

A close relative was diagnosed with a rare T cell lymphoma called Mycosis fungoides today. I wish I could adequately describe how many people I know with rare cancers at the moment.

I WHOLEHEARTEDLY believe—no, I KNOW—it’s a result of Covid.

A thread:

SARS-CoV-2 down-regulates p53 cancer suppressor gene expression for at least 6 months.

I don’t even want to think about what repeated infections every few months could do to the cancer rate.

Yet another reason to avoid infection. #BringBackMasks

“Our findings suggest that SARS-CoV-2 can be considered a potential risk factor for increasing the probability of developing cancer.”

💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥

Told you it was ONCOGENIC!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Long AGO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A hard but necessary read for scientists and policy makers | cancer as a perspective sequelae of #LongCovid. We know already viruses like EBV (Epstein Barr) are triggers or drivers of many kinds of cancers. Would SARS-CoV-2 be any different?

🧵

Some viruses are cancer-causing ("oncogenic"). HPV and anogenital and head and neck cancers, Hepatitis B and C viruses and liver cancer; Epstein Barr virus and lymphomas etc…

I'd be surprised if SARS-CoV-2 doesn't join the list.

“EBV is found in the bone marrow of 90% of people, CMV in 60% of people and herpes simplex in 50% of individuals in the dormant state. Herpes and CMV are found in various body parts.”

This seems important.

T cells die and get depleted

If you dysregulate this you can get things like lymphoproliferation or cancers with too little death, and depletion with too much

Don't annoy me with people in denial about T cell death signatures

The findings are robust in Covid-19

What if Covid leads to cancer later? What will we do when we already infected everyone?

Perhaps that’s why mass infection with a novel virus isn’t advisable. Some countries understand this aspect, and some countries don’t.

I can’t believe what I’m seeing

T cell dysregulation and exhaustion from Covid may have caused rapid progression of HPV related cancer

Echoing my hypothesis from three years ago

p53 is also called “tumor suppressor gene”. Mutations in p53 are responsible for some family cancer syndromes.

If sars-cov-2 disrupts p53, we may be at the beginning of a very wild ride. Quote Tweet Mark Ungrin @mark_ung