OU Medicine studying cancer, COVID-19 links

The Stephenson Cancer Center at OU Medicine is set to participate in two clinical trials studying the relationship between cancer and COVID-19.

The two clinical trials, sponsored by the National Cancer Institute, will investigate the health of patients with cancer who are infected with the COVID-19 virus.

Both trials are scheduled to begin enrolling patients this month, said Robert Mannel, M.D., director of Stephenson Cancer Center.

“There have been a number of reports that people with cancer face an increased risk for severe complications if they contract COVID- 1 9, ” Mannel said. “However, these studies have been relatively small and limited for various reasons. The only way we're going to know if a strategy works is by conducting thorough, well-designed and ethical trials.”

One trial being offered will look at adults being treated for cancer who also become infected with COVID-19. The clinical trial will follow participants for two years and will gather extensive data about their health with cancer, COVID-19 and any other medical conditions, as well as regular blood tests and examinations. The study will look at how a patient's cancer treatment is impacted by COVID-19.

The trial will also investigate the effects of cancer and COVID- 19 among populations who have been hardest hit by the virus, including African Americans, Hispanics and Native Americans, especially Navajo Indians, Mannel said.

“This will help us learn more about COVID-19 and ways to address current infections,” he said. “But it also will give us a database that will help us understand vulnerable populations in the future if we experience another wave from this virus or if another pandemic arises.”

The second trial focuses on a cancer drug called tocilizumab, which has been used by physicians for several years to treat patients whose immune systems have become overactivated, Mannel said. The new clinical trial will study the effects of tocilizumab in patients with cancer who are also infected with COVID-19 and are experiencing respiratory distress.

The tocilizumab clinical trial is for children age 2 and older, as well as adults with cancer who are infected with COVID19. It also will seek to enroll minority and underserved populations who are disproportionately affected by COVID-19 and cancer.