Objective This study explored the consistency and differences in the immune cells and cytokines between patients with COVID-19 or cancer. We further analyzed the correlations between the acute inflammation and cancer-related immune disorder. Methods This retrospective study involved 167 COVID-19 patients and 218 cancer patients. COVID-19 and cancer were each further divided into two subgroups. Quantitative and qualitative variables were measured by one-way ANOVA and chi-square test, respectively. Herein, we carried out a correlation analysis between immune cells and cytokines and used receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves to discover the optimal diagnostic index. Results COVID-19 and cancers were associated with lymphopenia and high levels of monocytes, neutrophils, IL-6, and IL-10. IL-2 was the optimal indicator to differentiate the two diseases. Compared with respiratory cancer patients, COVID-19 patients had lower levels of IL-2 and higher levels of CD3 + CD4 + T cells and CD19 + B cells. In the subgroup analysis, IL-6 was the optimal differential diagnostic parameter that had the ability to identify if COVID-19 patients would be severely affected, and severe COVID-19 patients had lower levels of lymphocyte subsets (CD3 + T cells, CD3 + CD4 + T cells, CD3 + CD8 + T cells, and CD19 + B cells) and CD16 + CD56 + NK cells and higher level of neutrophils. There were significant differences in the levels of CD3 + CD4 + T cells and CD19 + B cells between T 1-2 and T 3-4 stages as well as IL-2 and CD19 + B cells between N 0-1 and N 2-3 stages while no significant differences between the metastatic and nonmetastatic cancer patients. Additionally, there were higher correlations between IL-2 and IL-4, TNF- α and IL-2, TNF- α and IL-4, TNF- α and IFN- γ , and CD16 + CD56 + NK cells and various subsets of T cells in COVID-19 patients. There was a higher correlation between CD3 + CD4 + T cells and CD19 + B cells in cancer patients. Conclusion Inflammation associated with COVID-19 or cancer had effects on patients’ outcomes. Accompanied by changes in immune cells and cytokines, there were consistencies, differences, and satisfactory correlations between patients with COVID-19 and those with cancers.
【초록키워드】 COVID-19, Neutrophils, Monocytes, Cytokines, Diseases, T cells, IL-6, Cancer, B cells, diagnostic, NK cell, cytokine, Acute inflammation, CD4, CD8, lymphopenia, B cell, outcomes, Retrospective study, T cell, ROC, Lymphocyte subset, cancers, Patient, Cancer patients, IFN, IL-10, correlation, characteristic, immune disorder, COVID-19 patients, IL-2, IL-4, CD16, Immune cell, COVID-19 patient, CD19, chi-square test, Correlation analysis, significant difference, no significant difference, Stage, subgroup analysis, ANOVA, TNF- α, CD56, parameter, variable, two subgroups, Effect, CD3, objective, Result, analyzed, identify, affected, carried, involved, changes in, subset, were measured, patients with COVID-19, severe COVID-19 patient, with COVID-19, 【제목키워드】 COVID-19, clinical, difference,