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Can Respiratory Viruses Trigger Dormant Cancer Cells?

Viral infections may help reactivate dormant cancer cells already present in the body, according to research highlighted in a Los Angeles Times article. The global spread of COVID-19 provided new evidence that viral infections may be associated with an increased risk for cancer recurrence. There’s no evidence that COVID-19 itself causes cancer, but some researchers hypothesize that a viral infection can disrupt the body’s ability to keep cancer cells in check. “COVID and influenza do not cause cancer by themselves, but if you have cancer and you have dormant cancer cells that are normally under control by your immune system, getting a severe case of COVID can help reactivate those existing cancers,” Patrick Moore, a virologist and epidemiologist at the University of Pittsburgh told the Los Angeles Times. In lab studies, mice with dormant breast cancer cells infected with influenza or SARS-CoV-2 were more likely to develop aggressive lung tumors. James DeGregori, a molecular biologist at the University of Colorado in Aurora, published this research, and also found a similar association between COVID-19 infection and lung metastases in breast cancer survivors. Moore recommends people with a cancer history protect themselves against severe cases of respiratory infections, including staying up-to-date with vaccines.

Breast Cancer Survivors Unaware of Nonhormonal Options to Manage Menopause

Many menopausal women take hormone therapy—which delivers estrogen or progesterone through patches and pills—to control hot flashes, brain fog or restless nights, according to an article in the New York Times. However, female cancer survivors, including those with a history of hormone receptor-positive breast cancer, are advised not to use systemic hormone therapy to control menopausal symptoms since it can increase the chance of recurrence. Other options for managing menopause symptoms exist that do not rely on hormones, but are not as widely known among doctors or patients. There is a “humongous provider knowledge gap” about menopause care, said Rajita Patil, an obstetrician-gynecologist at UCLA Health’s Comprehensive Menopause Program in Los Angeles. Two nonhormonal drugs, Veozah (fezolinetant) and Lynkuet (elinzanetant), have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration for moderate to severe hot flashes. In addition, cognitive behavioral therapy can help ease hot flashes and sleep issues, while topical vaginal estrogen can be useful for vaginal dryness or pelvic pain, the New York Times reported. “We have so many other things in our tool kit,” said Stephanie Faubion, a physician and researcher who studies sexual health at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. But very few women have heard of these options.

Many Cancer Patients Use Ivermectin Without Evidence of Effectiveness

Cancer patients increasingly sought ivermectin last year to treat cancer even though there is no evidence that the drug works to treat cancer, according to an article published on ABC News. Prescriptions for ivermectin, an antiparasitic drug that was falsely touted as a treatment for COVID-19, more than doubled in the first half of 2025, after celebrities endorsed the treatment for stage IV cancer, according to a study published in JAMA, John Mafi, a physician and researcher at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA in Los Angeles, previously studied ivermectin’s rise during the pandemic. Ivermectin is used for treating parasitic diseases in humans, but Mafi stressed no evidence exists to show that the drug is able to cure cancer in people. “The concern is that patients are delaying or forgoing treatments for cancer that have proven benefit,” Mafi told ABC News.