Opportunities for providing surgical care to cancer patients during the COVID-19 pandemic

ABSTRACT

It is now known that patients with chronic diseases, including those with cancer, are at an increased risk for a severe course of and death from COVID-19. This is due both to systemic immunosuppression caused by the tumor process and to the consequences of antitumor treatment. To provide surgical care to cancer patients during a pandemic is a challenging task. Perioperative SARS-CoV-2 infection is accompanied by a high risk for respiratory complications;however, a delay in surgical treatment for ma-ny cancers has a negative impact on cancer prognosis in the patient. Therefore, it becomes apparent that there is a need for strict selection of patients, in whom the benefits of surgical treatment outweigh the potential risk of severe complications;moreover, ways should be developed to provide the safest possible elective surgical care under the existing conditions. The P.A. Herzen Moscow Oncology Research Institute, Branch, National Medical Radiology Research Center, has not stopped providing care to cancer patients during the pandemic conditions. © 2021.