A Case of Thoracic Esophageal Cancer Treated with COVID-19 Pneumonia during Preoperative Chemoradiotherapy(CRT).

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: There is concerned that prognosis of cancer-bearing patients is adversely affected by postponement of cancer treatment due to infection with a new type of coronavirus(COVID-19). We report a case of thoracic esophageal cancer treated with COVID-19 pneumonia during preoperative CRT. A 60-year-old female diagnosed as having Stage IV thoracic esophageal cancer(cT3N0M1LYM[104R])started receiving preoperative chemoradiotherapy. On the 12th day, she had a fever and was diagnosed with COVID-19 infection. CRT temporarily interrupted and she was treated for COVID-19 pneumonia preferentially. CRT was resumed promptly after remission. Finally, video-Assisted radical esophagectomy was performed. There were no postoperative complications. Nivolumab was started as an adjuvant therapy on the 2nd postoperative months. CONCLUSION(S) We experienced a case of thoracic esophageal cancer in which COVID-19 pneumonia was treated during preoperative CRT, and CRT and surgery were completed without complications by appropriate treatment.