ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: COVID-19 pandemic has strained human and material resources around the world. Practices in surgical oncology had to change in response to these resource limitations, triaging based on acuity, expected oncologic outcomes, availability of supportive resources, and safety of health care personnel. METHODS: The MD Anderson Head and Neck Surgery Treatment Guidelines Consortium devised the following to provide guidance on triaging head and neck cancer (HNC) surgeries based on multidisciplinary consensus. HNC subsites considered included aerodigestive tract mucosa, sinonasal, salivary, endocrine, cutaneous, and ocular. RECOMMENDATIONS: Each subsite is presented separately with disease-specific recommendations. Options for alternative treatment modalities are provided if surgical treatment needs to be deferred. CONCLUSION: These guidelines are intended to help clinicians caring for patients with HNC appropriately allocate resources during a health care crisis, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. We continue to advocate for individual consideration of cases in a multidisciplinary fashion based on individual patient circumstances and resource availability.
Subject(s)
Coronavirus Infections/epidemiology , Head and Neck Neoplasms/surgery , Outcome Assessment, Health Care , Pandemics/statistics & numerical data , Pneumonia, Viral/epidemiology , Practice Guidelines as Topic/standards , Surgical Oncology/standards , Betacoronavirus , COVID-19 , Cancer Care Facilities , Communicable Disease Control/standards , Consensus , Coronavirus Infections/prevention & control , Female , Head and Neck Neoplasms/diagnosis , Humans , Male , Occupational Health , Pandemics/prevention & control , Patient Safety , Patient Selection , Pneumonia, Viral/prevention & control , SARS-CoV-2 , Triage/standards , United StatesABSTRACT
Abstract Background In the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, cancer care has had to adapt rapidly given the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the American College of Surgeons (ACS) issuing recommendations to postpone non-urgent surgeries. Methods An institutional multidisciplinary group of Head and Neck Surgical Oncology, Surgical Endocrinology, and Medical Endocrinology devised Surgical Triaging Guidelines for Endocrine Surgery during COVID-19, aligned with phases of care published by the ACS. Results Phases of care with examples of corresponding endocrine cases are outlined. Most cases can be safely postponed with active surveillance, including most differentiated and medullary thyroid cancers. During the most acute phase, all endocrine surgeries are deferred except thyroid tumors requiring acute airway management. Conclusions These guidelines provide context for endocrine surgery within the spectrum of surgical oncology, with the goal of optimal individualized multidisciplinary patient care, and the expectation of significant resource diversion to care for COVID-19 patients. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.