Researchers uncover how COVID-19 may linger in cancer patients and affect treatment outcomes

MINNEAPOLIS/ST. PAUL (09/10/2025) — New research from the University of Minnesota Medical School is providing important insights into how COVID-19 persists in cancer patients even long after testing positive. The findings were recently published in iScience.

During a peak of COVID-19 in 2020, there was concern around cancer patients who had contracted COVID-19 and developed severe inflammatory reactions that looked similar to autoimmune conditions. To better understand this phenomenon, researchers studied three cancer patients who had undergone transplant therapies and were hospitalized with severe COVID-19 infections.

The research team discovered that even up to six weeks after a patient's last positive nasal swab test, the virus was still present in the lining of their gut. The persistence of the virus appeared to trigger increased inflammation and damage to tissue. The researchers also identified a specific inflammatory marker, called SERPINA1, that was consistently linked to tissue inflammation in these cases. 

“COVID-19 can persist in gastrointestinal tissue, and this may be associated with inflammation and poor patient outcomes during the process of transplantation,” said Justin Hwang, Ph.D., an assistant professor with the University of Minnesota Medical School and a Masonic Cancer Center researcher. “Prior to treatments and clinical decisions, one may consider measuring GI tissue markers, such as SERPINA1. This may be especially important when considering the use of anti-cancer transplantation therapies.”

“We learned that the virus that causes COVID-19 infection lasted longer in the intestines than we would have predicted. More research is needed to determine whether there is a link to Long COVID or other similar complications in this at-risk population,” added Emil Lou, MD, Ph.D., FACP, a physician-scientist and gastrointestinal oncologist with the Masonic Cancer Center, and professor with tenure with the University of Minnesota Medical School and M Health Fairview. 

Further research will aim to study larger groups that have been infected with COVID-19. The researchers also recommend caution around patients with high levels of SERPINA1, who may need close monitoring as some cancer treatments could increase inflammation. 

This study was supported by Mrs. Hinda Litman and the Litman Family Fund for Cancer Research, the American Cancer Society, a University of Minnesota Data Science Initiative (DSI) Seed Grant, Friends and family of Gayle Huntington, the Mu Sigma Chapter of the Phi Gamma Delta Fraternity, University of Minnesota (FIJI), Dick and Lynnae Koats, Ms. Patricia Johnson and the Love Like Laurie Legacy. 

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About the University of Minnesota Medical School
The University of Minnesota Medical School is at the forefront of learning and discovery, transforming medical care and educating the next generation of physicians. Our graduates and faculty produce high-impact biomedical research and advance the practice of medicine. We acknowledge that the U of M Medical School is located on traditional, ancestral and contemporary lands of the Dakota and the Ojibwe, and scores of other Indigenous people, and we affirm our commitment to tribal communities and their sovereignty as we seek to improve and strengthen our relations with tribal nations. Learn more at med.umn.edu.

About the Masonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota
The Masonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota, is the Twin Cities’ only Comprehensive Cancer Center, designated ‘Outstanding’ by the National Cancer Institute. As Minnesota’s Cancer Center, we have served the entire state for more than 30 years. Our researchers, educators, and care providers work to discover the causes, prevention, detection, and treatment of cancer and cancer-related diseases as well as provide whole-of-life care and resources for cancer survivors. Learn more at cancer.umn.edu.

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