Northwestern Medicine study shows severe COVID-19 may shrink cancer cells

CHICAGO (WLS) -- New research from Northwestern Medicine shows that in some cases of severe COVID, the immune response actually killed cancer cells.

Researchers are trying to harness that immune power into new cancer therapies.

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During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, as millions of people were hospitalized with doctors and nurses worked to the bone, medical professionals observed something strange, specifically in a handful of patients with cancer.

"When those patients got severe COVID, the cancers shrank," said Ankit Bharat, Chief of Thoracic Surgery Northwestern Medicine. "So it was a very bizarre observation and we were wondering, is it just a coincidence or is it a real thing?'"

Dr. Bharat says new research on human tissue and animal models shows what may be a silver lining out of a bleak era that could benefit cancer patients.

"In our pre-clinical studies, it tends to be broadly effective in some of the most common cancers that effect us, so lung, breast, colon, melanomas," Dr. Bharat said.

Researchers were able to create the same cells found in some patients with severe COVID to not protect cancers, but rather bring reinforcements to attack them.

"When they said we were out of options, one year later to the day, he got the call for the transplant," Lori Friesen said.

Friesen and Keith Zafren have been on a cancer journey together. Zafren was one of the first lung cancer patients to receive a double lung transplant at Northwestern Medicine in a first-of-its-kind clinical program. If his cancer were to ever reoccur, traditional immuno-therapies wouldn't be an option because of the risk of organ rejection.

"I would happily be in that new study if cancer recurs," Zafren said.

The COVID-based research is different than immuno-therapy.

"This mechanism of these monocytes can selectively kill the cancer cells without affecting the newly-transplanted lungs," Dr. Bharat said.

SEE ALSO | Woman recovering from stage 4 cancer after double-lung transplant at Northwestern Medicine

"Just hold on, because you never know what these innovative incredible team of doctors is going to come up with next," Friesen said.

Researchers hope to have the study in clinical trials with humans next year.

More information about the Northwestern Medicine research study can be found here.