SARS-CoV-2 and cancer: Are they really partners in crime?

The SARS-COV-2 is a novel coronavirus that has been identified after an outbreak of unusual pneumonia in Wuhan, China. The genome of the virus has been sequenced and assigned GeneBank accession number MN908947 [1]. Phylogenetically it belongs to the genus Betacoronavirus (subgenus Sarbecovirus) and has similarities with the other human betacoronaviruses SARS-CoV-1 [2] and MERS-CoV [1]. There is also 96% concordance with the genome of a bat coronavirus suggesting its potential origin [3,4]. SARS-CoV-2 contains a single strand RNA associated with a nucleoprotein within a capsid comprised of matrix protein.

Source: Cancer Treatment Reviews - July 9, 2020 Category: Cancer & Oncology Authors: Peter A. van Dam, Manon Huizing, Gino Mestach, Stazie Dierckxsens, Wiebren Tjalma, Xuan Bich Trinh, Kostantinos Papadimitriou, Sevilay Altintas, Jan Vermorken, Christof Vulsteke, Annelies Janssens, Zwi Berneman, Hans Prenen, Leander Meuris, Wim Vanden Ber Tags: Complications of Treatment Source Type: research