Olga Monteagudo Piqueras
Head physician of the Preventive Medicine Department at Reina Sofía University General Hospital (Murcia) and associate professor in the Department of Social and Health Sciences at the University of Murcia
This is a very interesting study that addresses two lines of research: on the one hand, a laboratory investigation into the effects of respiratory viral infections and breast cancer latency in murine models; and on the other hand, an observational analysis based on health records of individuals during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, aimed at demonstrating a connection between respiratory viral infections and metastatic breast cancer.
The authors provide a detailed description of the materials and methods used to carry out both studies, as well as their limitations, and they present the results appropriately.
Overall, this study contributes further scientific evidence to the role that infectious agents play in oncological pathology, thereby expanding existing knowledge.
Regarding its real-world implications, it highlights the importance of adherence to primary prevention measures (such as hand and respiratory hygiene, vaccination, etc.) by cancer patients/survivors and those around them, in order to reduce the risk of respiratory viral infections.