People with lung cancer do not necessarily have an increased risk of contracting coronavirus disease (COVID-19), but factors such as age, coexisting illnesses, and cancer treatments could make infection with the virus more severe, Joshua K. Sabari, MD, assistant professor in the Department of Medicine and a member of NYU Langone Health’s Perlmutter Cancer Center, tells CURE magazine.

However, fear of getting COVID-19 should not interfere with seeking treatment for lung cancer, Dr. Sabari says.

“Take every possible precaution that you can, but until we have a vaccine or until a greater proportion of the population has antibodies, COVID-19 is something that is going to remain with us, and dealing with it has to become a new normal,” Dr. Sabari says.

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