In this article, Subbarayan et al. analyze the role of the TMPRSS2 protein, which helps SARS-CoV-2 enter cells, in different types of cancer. They find that tumor cells with high TMPRSS2 levels show increased immune activity but reduced effectiveness of certain immune cells. These changes may affect how cancer patients respond to immunotherapy, especially when infected with COVID-19. The findings suggest new approaches to improve treatment and reduce COVID-19 severity in cancer patients.
