It’s ah-choo much for the body to handle.

Viral infections like the flu and COVID-19 can “awaken” dormant breast cancer cells hiding in the lungs, paving the way for deadly metastatic disease, a new study finds .

“Our findings indicate that individuals with a history of cancer may benefit from taking precautions against respiratory viruses,” Julio Aguirre-Ghiso, a co-leader of the study and director of Montefiore Einstein Comprehensive Cancer Center ‘s Cancer Dormancy Institute in the Bronx, said in a statement. 3

Nearly all cancers have the potential to spread, or metastasize, to distant parts of the body.

Cancer cells can break off from the original tumor and travel through the bloodstream or lymphatic system to form new tumors in other organs.

These rogue cells may e

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