ABSTRACT
The diagnosis and treatment of cancer can be an extremely stressful experience for the patient. COVID-19 pandemic has further created an environment of stress and anxiety amongst cancer patients. A cross-sectional study was conducted from March 2020 to May 2020 using google forms to assess the knowledge, distress level, practices, and attitude toward the COVID-19 pandemic in cancer patients. It was observed that the females and elderly patients (> 55 years) were more knowledgeable about the COVID-19 pandemic. Also, females were more prone to emotional stress compared to males. While the younger age group (18-35 years) had a more hard time in dealing with family-related issues compared to other age groups. Therefore, the younger age group (18-35 years) and female gender being more prone to distress, warrant more attention from health care staff and caretakers. Moreover, the study highlights the need for mental and general health screening and intervention to balance the oncological care and COVID-19 situation.
Subject(s)
COVID-19 , Neoplasms , Psychological Distress , Adolescent , Adult , Aged , Cross-Sectional Studies , Female , Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice , Humans , Male , Neoplasms/epidemiology , Pandemics , Young AdultABSTRACT
The core pillars of multimodal care of patients with cancer are surgical, radiation, and medical oncology. The global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has suddenly resurrected a new pillar in oncology care: teleoncology. With oncologists reaching out to patients through telemedicine, it is possible to evaluate and fulfill patients' needs; triage patients for elective procedures; screen them for influenza-like illness; provide them with guidance for hospital visits, if needed; and bridge oral medications and treatments when a hospital visit is not desirable because of any high risk-benefit ratio. Teleoncology can bring great reassurance to patients at times when reaching an oncology center is challenging, and more so in resource-constrained countries. Evidence-based treatment protocols, dispensable by teleoncology, already exist for many sites of cancer and they can provide a bridge to treatment when patients are unable to reach cancer centers for their standard treatment. The young pillar of teleoncology is going to remain much longer than COVID-19.