Clinical evidence suggests that the severe respiratory illness coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is often associated with a cytokine storm that results in dysregulated immune responses. Prolonged COVID-19 positivity is thought to disproportionately affect cancer patients. With COVID-19 disrupting the delivery of cancer care, it is crucial to gain momentum and awareness of the mechanistic intersection between these two diseases. This review discusses the role of the cytokine midkine (MK) as an immunomodulator in patients with COVID-19 and nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC), both of which affect the nasal cavity. We conducted a review and analysis of immunocellular similarities and differences based on clinical studies, research articles, and published transcriptomic datasets. We specifically focused on ligand–receptor pairs that could be used to infer intercellular communication, as well as the current medications used for each disease, including NPC patients who have contracted COVID-19. Based on our findings, we recommend close monitoring of the MK axis to maintain the desirable effects of therapeutic regimens in fighting both NPC and COVID-19 infections.
临床证据表明，严重呼吸系统疾病2019冠状病毒病（COVID-19）常伴随细胞因子风暴，导致免疫反应失调。长期COVID-19阳性被认为对癌症患者影响尤为显著。在COVID-19干扰癌症诊疗实施的背景下，深入理解这两种疾病机制的交叉点至关重要。本综述探讨了细胞因子中期因子（MK）作为免疫调节剂在COVID-19与鼻咽癌（NPC）患者中的作用——这两种疾病均影响鼻腔结构。我们基于临床研究、学术论文及已发表的转录组数据集，对两种疾病的免疫细胞特征异同进行了系统性评述与分析，特别关注可用于推断细胞间通讯的配体-受体对，以及目前针对两种疾病（包括感染COVID-19的NPC患者）的用药方案。基于研究结果，我们建议密切监测MK信号轴，以维持治疗方案在对抗鼻咽癌与COVID-19感染中的理想疗效。
肿瘤(癌症)患者之家