Q. I have cancer and am being treated with chemotherapy. People with cancer, and particularly those with leukemia, seem to have a higher death rate from Covid-19 than the general population, though cancer chemotherapy does not appear to further increase the risk of dying from Covid. Many types of chemotherapy work by disrupting the cancer cell’s machinery that allows it to divide and grow so rapidly. Unfortunately, chemotherapy can also disrupt healthy cells that grow rapidly in the body, including the bone marrow cells that make our immune system. In one recent study, patients with cancers of the blood and bone marrow had higher coronavirus viral loads, which was associated with higher mortality.

Source: International New York Times October 07, 2020 12:45 UTC