The Impact of COVID-19 on Breast Cancer and the Role of Neutrophil Extracellular Traps

Amitabha Ray^1,*, Thomas F. Moore²
1 School of Health Professions, D’Youville University, 320 Porter Ave, Buffalo, NY, USA
2 College of Science and Technology, Fairmont State University, 1201 Locust Ave, Fairmont, WV, USA
* Corresponding Author: Amitabha Ray. Email: email

BIOCELL https://doi.org/10.32604/biocell.2026.076530

Received 22 November 2025; Accepted 28 April 2026; Published online 20 May 2026

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Abstract

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)-related critical illness, i.e., severe form of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), is associated with a hyperinflammatory state. In COVID-19 disease, several components of the body, including the complement system, different cells such as endothelial cells, platelets, monocytes, and neutrophils, and various pro-inflammatory cytokines such as interleukin-6 and tumor necrosis factor α, can contribute to a state of coagulopathy, and ultimately, all these factors cause extensive tissue damage. This pathological process may contribute to increased aggressiveness in cancer cells or to the reawakening of dormant cancer cells. Studies have documented an increase in the incidence of aggressive breast cancer, such as triple-negative breast cancer, tumors with overexpression of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2), and lymph node involvement during the COVID-19 pandemic. One etiological mechanism is perhaps the activation of neutrophils and the formation of neutrophil extracellular traps, which are thought to be linked to both severe COVID-19 disease and aggressive tumors.