Waiting is the worst part

Question - What about activating dormant cells?
It’s understandable to wonder about this, because new research has shown that respiratory viruses—including COVID‑19—can “wake up” dormant cancer cells in some contexts. But the key point is that this evidence currently applies to breast cancer, not prostate cancer, and even for breast cancer the findings are early and not yet confirmed in humans.

Here’s what the science actually shows so far.

What researchers have found about dormant cancer cells
🧬 Evidence from breast cancer studies
Recent work published in Nature (2025) found that respiratory infections like COVID‑19 and influenza can reactivate dormant breast cancer cells in the lungs. In mice, these infections triggered inflammation—especially involving interleukin‑6 (IL‑6)—that caused dormant metastatic cells to start growing again.

Large human datasets also suggested that people with a history of early‑stage breast cancer who later contracted COVID‑19 had a higher risk of developing lung metastases or dying from cancer.

🧪 Mechanism involved
Across these studies, the proposed mechanism is:

Respiratory virus infection →

Strong inflammatory response (especially IL‑6) →

Immune imbalance (CD4⁺ T cells suppress CD8⁺ T‑cell tumor surveillance) →

Dormant metastatic cells “wake up” and begin proliferating

This is a general biological pathway, not specific to COVID‑19.

What this means for prostate cancer
🔍 No evidence yet that COVID‑19 reactivates dormant prostate cancer cells
The studies above did not include prostate cancer, and there is no published evidence showing that SARS‑CoV‑2 can awaken dormant prostate cancer cells or promote metastasis in prostate cancer patients.

🧩 Why prostate cancer might behave differently
Dormant prostate cancer cells often reside in bone, not lungs.

The microenvironment that controls dormancy in bone is very different from lung tissue.

The IL‑6 pathway is involved in prostate cancer biology, but not in the same way as in breast cancer metastasis.

So while the concept of infection‑driven reactivation is biologically plausible, it has not been demonstrated for prostate cancer.

What scientists are watching
Even though no link has been shown, researchers are paying attention to a few theoretical intersections:

COVID‑19 causes systemic inflammation, which could in theory influence tumor microenvironments.

IL‑6 is elevated in severe COVID‑19, and IL‑6 is also involved in prostate cancer progression.

TMPRSS2, a gene used by SARS‑CoV‑2 to enter cells, is androgen‑regulated and highly expressed in prostate tissue.

These are reasons for scientific curiosity—not evidence of metastasis or reactivation.

What this means for you
There is no current evidence that COVID‑19 activates dormant prostate cancer cells.

The only cancer type where this has been shown is breast cancer, and even there the findings are early and partly based on animal models.

If you have prostate cancer or a history of it, the most important factors remain regular monitoring, PSA follow‑up, and staying up to date with routine care.

Prostate cancer can become dormant for years even. Something like COVID-19 could re-awaken it and cause the cancer to come back.

Here is further information about Dormant cells, how they occur and what can happen to them with something like Covid Or other stressful things that can happen to people.
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/8wyq61jnnxl9g9cbmek5g/Dormant-cancer-cell-details.html

@jeffmarc

Here is a link to the full dormant article
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/8wyq61jnnxl9g9cbmek5g/Dormant-cancer-cell-details.html

@jeffmarc

Exactly ! Active COVID infection rises PSA - a known fact.
Virus attaches to prostate and causes inflammation of the prostate and as we all know, inflammation is a major cancer promoter.

And, we had here more than one case of lung PC metatheses activating after COVID infection, one after cytokine storm.

On the other hand, there are anecdotal cases of PC lasting remission caused by other type of viruses.

All in all, it is very smart to stay away from respiratory viruses if at all possible. Nasty bunch !!!