Long-Term Oncological Outcomes in Metastatic Prostate Cancer Patients Who Are Able to Maintain/Recover Ongoing Anticancer Therapy After SARS-CoV-2 Infection—Results of the MEET-URO 22 Study

<b>Background:</b> Although the relationship between androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) for prostate cancer (PC) and the biological mechanisms of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection remains unequivocally unclear, it is possible that exposure to the virus may influence PC evolution by altering TMPRSS2 expression. This study aims to evaluate the long-term oncological outcomes of patients with metastatic PC who were undergoing medical therapy at the time of contracting SARS-CoV-2 and who resumed/continued anticancer treatment after recovery. <b>Methods:</b> We retrospectively evaluated a consecutive series of 151 metastatic PC patients who developed SARS-CoV-2 infection while receiving one active systemic anticancer therapy (125 metastatic castration-resistant PC (mCRPC) patients and 26 metastatic hormone-sensitive PC (mHSPC) patients). We evaluated variables that influence the ability to maintain or resume the ongoing therapy. For the maintained/resumed therapies, we calculated the post-infection overall survival (piOS) and the overall survival (OS). <b>Results:</b> Of the patients, 12.6% died due to SARS-CoV-2 infection, 10.6% recovered from the infection but failed to maintain/resume the ongoing anticancer treatment, and the remaining 76.8% maintained/resumed the treatment after recovery. Hospitalization, duration of infection, and the type of ongoing anticancer agent influenced these treatment changes. In the cohort of mCRPC patients, the median piOS was 32 months, and the median OS was 67.8 months. The median piOS was not achieved in the cohort of mHSPC patients, while the median OS was 122 months. The outcomes of single anticancer agents were in line with those of pivotal trials. <b>Conclusions:</b> Although observed in a highly selected population of PC patients who survived SARS-CoV-2 infection and were able to resume/maintain anticancer therapy, the survival outcomes of this study appear to be in line with those reported in pivotal studies, and SARS-CoV-2 infection does not seem to have adversely affected long-term oncological outcomes.

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Journal
Cancers
Published
2026-01-15
DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers18020264
Primary Topic
COVID-19 and healthcare impacts
Type
article
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article

Long-Term Oncological Outcomes in Metastatic Prostate Cancer Patients Who Are Able to Maintain/Recover Ongoing Anticancer Therapy After SARS-CoV-2 Infection—Results of the MEET-URO 22 Study

Francesco Pierantoni, F. Maines, F. Morelli, Dzenete Kadrija et al.
Cancers
COVID-19 and healthcare impacts
article

Long-Term Oncological Outcomes in Metastatic Prostate Cancer Patients Who Are Able to Maintain/Recover Ongoing Anticancer Therapy After SARS-CoV-2 Infection—Results of the MEET-URO 22 Study

Francesco Pierantoni, F. Maines, F. Morelli, Dzenete Kadrija, Isabella Saporita, Maria Giuseppa Vitale, Cecilia Anesi, M. Maruzzo, Consuelo Buttigliero, Umberto BASSO, O. Caffo, Antonello Veccia, Alessia Mennitto, Mariella Sorarù, Caterina Romeo, Davide Bimbatti, Paola Ermacora, Brigida Anna Maiorano
article en

Abstract

<b>Background:</b> Although the relationship between androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) for prostate cancer (PC) and the biological mechanisms of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection remains unequivocally unclear, it is possible that exposure to the virus may influence PC evolution by altering TMPRSS2 expression. This study aims to evaluate the long-term oncological outcomes of patients with metastatic PC who were undergoing medical therapy at the time of contracting SARS-CoV-2 and who resumed/continued anticancer treatment after recovery. <b>Methods:</b> We retrospectively evaluated a consecutive series of 151 metastatic PC patients who developed SARS-CoV-2 infection while receiving one active systemic anticancer therapy (125 metastatic castration-resistant PC (mCRPC) patients and 26 metastatic hormone-sensitive PC (mHSPC) patients). We evaluated variables that influence the ability to maintain or resume the ongoing therapy. For the maintained/resumed therapies, we calculated the post-infection overall survival (piOS) and the overall survival (OS). <b>Results:</b> Of the patients, 12.6% died due to SARS-CoV-2 infection, 10.6% recovered from the infection but failed to maintain/resume the ongoing anticancer treatment, and the remaining 76.8% maintained/resumed the treatment after recovery. Hospitalization, duration of infection, and the type of ongoing anticancer agent influenced these treatment changes. In the cohort of mCRPC patients, the median piOS was 32 months, and the median OS was 67.8 months. The median piOS was not achieved in the cohort of mHSPC patients, while the median OS was 122 months. The outcomes of single anticancer agents were in line with those of pivotal trials. <b>Conclusions:</b> Although observed in a highly selected population of PC patients who survived SARS-CoV-2 infection and were able to resume/maintain anticancer therapy, the survival outcomes of this study appear to be in line with those reported in pivotal studies, and SARS-CoV-2 infection does not seem to have adversely affected long-term oncological outcomes.

CancersVol. 18(2)
University of Modena and Reggio Emilia (IT), Università degli Studi del Piemonte Orientale “Amedeo Avogadro” (IT), University of Trento (IT), Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza (IT), Ospedale Santa Chiara (IT), Istituto Ramazzini (IT), Istituto Oncologico Veneto (IT), Associazione Italiana Di Oncologia Medica (IT), Azienda Ospedaliero Universitaria Maggiore della Carita (IT), Ospedale Santa Maria della Misericordia di Udine (IT), Azienda Ospedaliera Ospedale Maggiore (IT), Ospedale San Luigi Gonzaga (IT), University of Turin (IT)
Openalex Percentile: Top 86%
COVID-19 and healthcare impacts
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