Peculiarities of the course of non-small cell lung cancer and the percentage / of lymphocytes in blood of patients considering gender specific difference, upon COVID-19 before the beginning of antitumor treatment

The issue of the peculiarities of the course of the malignant process and the informative value of hematological parameters in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (LC) considering gender specific difference, upon COVID-19 before the beginning of antitumor treatment, has been poorly studied.

The aim of the study was to identify the features of the course of LC and the informative value of the adaptation status indicators in patients of both genders who had COVID-19 before the beginning of antitumor treatment.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Conventional clinical and laboratory parameters and the leukocyte count were studied in patients with LC st. I-III, males (59) and females (32) aged 3675 years. The main groups consisted of 32 males and 16 females who had COVID-19 within 2-9 months before their hospitalization. Before surgery, the percentage of lymphocytes in blood was assessed as an informative indicator of the adaptation status according to G. Selye and Garkavi-Kvakina-Ukolova. Cases of LC progression and mortality within a year after treatment were noted. The Statistica 10 software package was used for statistical processing.

RESULTS

In males with a history of COVID-19, some contradictory changes were noted: a 2.7-fold increase (p <0.05) in the cases of early stage lung cancer (st. IA,

B) with a simultaneous tendency towards an increase in the cases of metastasis and mortality within a year after in-hospital treatment. In females, signs of exacerbation and a decrease in the effectiveness of treatment were observed without statistically significant changes in the ratio of tumor prevalence rates. In almost all patients in the main groups, tumors were detected during chest X-ray examination in connection with COVID-19. In men with a history of COVID-19 who died within a year after the end of treatment, a significant increase in the incidence rate of achieving pre-treatment lymphocyte percentage values in the range of “28-45%” was noted compared to the reference value (7 times, p <0.001).

CONCLUSION

The obtained results bear witness to a noticeable gender-dependent effect produced by previous COVID-19 on the course of LC and the informative value of the percentage of lymphocytes as an indicator of the adaptation status. In females, the observed changes indicate an aggravation of the malignant process and systemic disorders, as well as a decrease in the effectiveness of treatment. In males, a sharp increase in the number of cases of loss of the adaptation status indicator by the percentage of blood lymphocytes, as well as the number of cases of early-stage LC, demonstrates a more significant change in the functional profile of lymphocytes under the influence of COVID-19 and LC compared to that observed in LC only, as well as the possibility of initiation of a malignant process in the lungs under the influence of a previous coronavirus infection.

Issue 33. November 2024 | Cardiometry | 37