12 Aug A Practical Approach to the Management of Cancer Patients During the Novel Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Pandemic: An International Collaborative Group
Humaid O Al-Shamsi, Waleed Alhazzani, Ahmad Alhuraiji, Eric A Coomes, Roy F Chemaly, Meshari Almuhanna, Robert A Wolff, Nuhad K Ibrahim, Melvin LK Chua, Sebastien J Hotte, Brandon M Meyers, Tarek Elfiki, Giuseppe Curigliano, Cathy Eng, Axel Grothey, Conghua Xie.
ABSTRACT
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak has spread rapidly globally since it was identified as a public health emergency of major international concern and has now been declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO). ). In December 2019, an outbreak of atypical pneumonia, known as COVID-19, was identified in Wuhan, China. The recently identified zoonotic coronavirus, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), is characterized by rapid human-to-human transmission.
Many cancer patients frequently visit the hospital for treatment and disease monitoring. These patients may be immunocompromised due to the underlying malignancy or anticancer therapy and are at increased risk of developing infections. Several factors increase the risk of infection, and cancer patients commonly have multiple risk factors.
Cancer patients appear to have an estimated twice as high risk of contracting SARS-CoV-2 as the general population. With the WHO declaring the novel coronavirus outbreak a pandemic, there is an urgent need to address the impact of the pandemic on cancer patients:
- This includes changes to resource allocation, clinical care, and the consent process during a pandemic. Currently and due to limited data, there are no international guidelines to address the treatment of cancer patients in an infectious pandemic.
In this review, potential challenges associated with the management of cancer patients during the COVID-19 infection pandemic will be addressed, with suggestions for some practical approaches.
IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Key treatment strategies for treating cancer patients during the COVID-19 epidemic include clear communication and education on hand hygiene, infection control measures, high-risk exposure, and signs and symptoms. of COVID-19.
Consideration of the risk and benefit of active intervention in the cancer population must be individualized. Postponing elective surgery or adjuvant chemotherapy for cancer patients at low risk of progression should be considered on a case-by-case basis. Minimizing outpatient visits can help mitigate exposure and potential additional transmission. Telemedicine can be used to help patients minimize the number of visits and risk of exposure. More research is needed to better understand the virology and epidemiology of SARS-CoV-2.