IMMUNOLOGY2026™ Conference Recordings For Attendees-Respiratory viral infections prime accelerated lung cancer growth

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The speaker discussed how severe respiratory viral infections may cause lasting lung changes that increase future cancer risk, especially after COVID-19. Using patient data from the EPIC Cosmos dataset, they found that prior severe COVID was linked to a modest overall rise in cancer incidence and a notably higher risk of lung cancer, while mild infection was not. They then tested this in mouse models of lung cancer and showed that prior SARS-CoV-2 or influenza infection increased tumor burden and shortened survival. Single-cell analyses suggested the effect was not purely due to tumor cells themselves, but to a remodeled immune environment, especially neutrophils and macrophages. A key finding was a pro-tumor “high-CXCL10” neutrophil state driven by G-CSF, which was supported by durable epigenetic changes in the lung after infection. Blocking neutrophil recruitment and PD-1 together reduced tumor growth, suggesting a possible therapeutic strategy.

Meta Tag

Date April 18, 2026 8:45 AM - 9:00 AM

Room 156

Session Tumor and Immune Cell Crosstalk

Speaker Wei Qian

Track Tumor Immunology: Cellular Responses and Tumor Microenvironment (TIME)

Year 2026

Keywords

COVID-19

lung cancer

respiratory viral infection

neutrophils

epigenetic changes

April 18, 2026 8:45 AM - 9:00 AM

156

Tumor and Immune Cell Crosstalk

Wei Qian

Tumor Immunology: Cellular Responses and Tumor Microenvironment (TIME)

2026