COVID-19 and cancer registries: Learning from the first peak of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic

The SARS-Cov-2 pandemic in 2020 has caused oncology teams around the world to adapt their practice in the aim of protecting patients. Early evidence from China indicated that patients with cancer, and particularly those who had recently received chemotherapy or surgery, were at increased risk of adverse outcomes following SARS-Cov-2 infection. Many registries of cancer patients infected with SARS-Cov-2 emerged during the first wave. We collate the evidence from these national and international studies and focus on the risk factors for patients with solid cancers and the contribution of systemic anti-cancer treatments (SACT-chemotherapy, immunotherapy, targeted and hormone therapy) to outcomes following SARS-Cov-2 infection. Patients with cancer infected with SARS-Cov-2 have a higher probability of death compared with patients without cancer. Common risk factors for mortality following COVID-19 include age, male sex, smoking history, number of comorbidities and poor performance status. Oncological features that may predict for worse outcomes include tumour stage, disease trajectory and lung cancer. Most studies did not identify an association between SACT and adverse outcomes. Recent data suggest that the timing of receipt of SACT may be associated with risk of mortality. Ongoing recruitment to these registries will enable us to provide evidence-based care

Evaluation of safety and efficacy of tivantinib in the treatment of inoperable or recurrent non-small-cell lung cancer

Massimo Broggini,1 Marina Chiara Garassino,2 Giovanna Damia11Laboratory of Molecular Pharmacology, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche "Mario Negri", 2Division of Medical Oncology, Fondazione IRCCS National Cancer Institute, Milan, ItalyAbstract: Tivantinib is a selective, oral, non-ATP-competitive, small molecule inhibitor of the c-Met receptor, tyrosine kinase, which is implicated at different levels of tumor cell migration, invasion, proliferation, and metastasis. Tivantinib has shown antitumor activity in various human tumor cell lines and in xenograft models of human cancers, including non-small-cell lung cancer. Few therapeutic options are available at present for advanced non-small-cell lung cancer, so there is a pressing need for new therapeutic strategies to improve response and survival. Amplification of Met has been reported in more than 20% of lung tumors that have acquired resistance to epidermal growth factor receptor inhibitors, implying that treatment of these tumors with a c-Met inhibitor should overcome resistance. Tivantinib has shown interesting and promising results in advanced non-small-cell lung cancer and appears to be well tolerated, either alone or in combination with other drugs. An interesting additional feature is the ability of the drug to delay development of new metastasis, in agreement with the proposed role of Met in this particular setting.Keywords: non-small-cell lung cancer, Met inhibitors, tivantinib, biomarker