Editorial Board Members’ Collection Series: The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Cancer Diagnosis

The COVID-19 pandemic largely influenced health systems worldwide. As a consequence of general lockdowns, precautions taken by the population, and restrictions for hospitals and private practices, cancer diagnoses were reported to be frequently delayed, and pharmaceutical companies reported on a reduction in market demands for anti-cancer treatments, mainly within the first waves of the pandemic. Oncologists were often reluctant to administer anti-cancer treatments with immunosuppressive potential. At the same time, cancer patients were clearly identified to carry an increased risk for severe and sometimes lethal COVID-19 courses. When the first vaccines were approved and widely distributed, it became clear that cancer patients often showed a weaker response as compared to healthy individuals, and several anti-cancer treatments seemed to have a negative impact as well. Therefore, the optimal care for cancer patients in the COVID-19 pandemic was and is a true challenge. Passive immunization approaches and antiviral therapies provide novel options to increase the safety of cancer patients in this situation.

This Special Issue invites clinical observations and trials as well as review articles focusing on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the diagnosis, clinical courses, and treatments of cancer patients. Thus, this issue aims to contribute to the management of these patients in this difficult situation. Articles on vaccination strategies and anti-infectious treatments for these patient groups are also of interest. 

Prof. Dr. Vera Ulrike Bacher
Prof. Dr. Fabio Monzani
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Cancers is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• COVID-19
• cancer diagnoses
• anti-cancer treatments
• passive immunization approaches
• antiviral therapies
• vaccination strategies
• anti-infectious treatments
• COVID-19 infection in hemato-oncologic patients