Cancer surgery during the COVID-19 pandemic: The experience of a comprehensive cancer center performing preoperative screening by RT-PCR and chest CT scan.
J Surg Oncol
; 123(4): 815-822, 2021 Mar.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1055935
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES:
During the worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), oncological procedures considered to be urgent could not be delayed, and a specific procedure was required to continue surgical activity. The objective was to assess the efficacy of our preoperative screening algorithm.METHODS:
This observational retrospective study was performed between the 25th of March and the 12th of May 2020 in a comprehensive cancer center in France. Patients undergoing elective oncologic surgery were tested by preoperative nasopharyngeal reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) that could be associated with a chest computerized tomography (CT) scan.RESULTS:
Of the 510 screening tests (in 477 patients), only 5% (15/477) were positive for COVID-19 in 24 patients (18 RT-PCR+ and 7 CT scan+/RT-PCR-). Four patients were ultimately false positives based on the CT scan. In total, only 4.2% (20/477) of the patients were COVID-19+. The positivity rate decreased with time after the containment measures were implemented (from 7.4% to 0.8%). In the COVID-19+ group, 20% of the patients had postoperative pulmonary complications, whereas this was the case for 5% of the patients in the COVID-19 group.CONCLUSIONS:
Maintaining secure surgical activity is achievable and paramount in oncology care, even during the COVID-19 pandemic, with appropriate screening based on preoperative RT-PCR.Keywords
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Postoperative Complications
/
Infection Control
/
Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
/
COVID-19 Nucleic Acid Testing
/
COVID-19
/
Neoplasms
Type of study:
Diagnostic study
/
Observational study
/
Prognostic study
Topics:
Long Covid
Limits:
Adult
/
Aged
/
Female
/
Humans
/
Male
/
Middle aged
/
Young adult
Country/Region as subject:
Europa
Language:
English
Journal:
J Surg Oncol
Year:
2021
Document Type:
Article
Affiliation country:
Jso.26335
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