Severe COVID-19 is Associated With an Increased Subsequent Lung Cancer Risk: Study
New research shows that patients previously hospitalized with severe COVID-19 have an increased risk of lung cancer.
May 12, 2026
In a new paper published in the journal Cell, researchers describe study results indicating that severe COVID-19 is associated with an increased subsequent lung cancer risk.
Their research found that people who were hospitalized with serious COVID-19 infections may have a higher risk of developing lung cancer. In animal studies, severe lung infections made existing lung cancers grow faster. However, COVID-19 vaccination helped reduce this effect.
The authors note that after a bad respiratory infection, lungs can remain inflamed for a while, making it easier for cancer to grow. The infection also seems to “reprogram” cells in the lungs, leaving behind long-term changes that can promote cancer.
However, the researchers also found that blocking certain immune signals helped restore the body’s ability to fight the cancer and slowed tumor growth.
Overall, the study suggests that severe viral lung infections like COVID-19 could increase cancer risk, and it highlights the importance of monitoring people after serious infections and developing treatments to reduce that risk.
At the Susan Wojcicki Foundation, we are working to better understand what puts someone at risk of developing lung cancer outside of traditional screening eligibility criteria.
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