Polygenic risk scores for autoimmune related diseases are significantly different in cancer exceptional responders.

A small number of cancer patients respond exceptionally well to therapies and survive significantly longer than patients with similar diagnoses. Profiling the germline genetic backgrounds of exceptional responder (ER) patients, with extreme survival times, can yield insights into the germline polymorphisms that influence response to therapy. As ERs showed a high incidence in autoimmune diseases, we hypothesized the differences in autoimmune disease risk could reflect the immune background of ERs and contribute to better cancer treatment responses.

Distinct Outcomes in COVID-19 Patients with Positive or Negative RT-PCR Test.

Identification of the SARS-CoV-2 virus by RT-PCR from a nasopharyngeal swab sample is a common test for diagnosing COVID-19. However, some patients present clinical, laboratorial, and radiological evidence of COVID-19 infection with negative RT-PCR result(s). Thus, we assessed whether positive results were associated with intubation and mortality.