COVID-19 Infection in Cancer Patients: How Can We Help Patients and Oncologists?

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Nicola Silvestris

University of Messina

Oronzo Brunetti

Bari John Paul II Cancer Institute, National Cancer Institute Foundation (IRCCS)

Antonio Galvano

Department of Surgical, Oncological and Stomatological Sciences, University of Palermo

Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria Policlinico Paolo Giaccone

Thierry Olivier Philip

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The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic outbreak has quickly become an international emergency, likely to have long-lasting effects. However, insufficient time has passed since the onset of this pandemic to enable us to understand how to cope with the infection in cancer patients. The COVID-19 infection can be very serious in elderly patients or those with underlying chronic illnesses and compromised immune systems, as is cancer in all its forms, but no one yet knows how cancer centers are dealing with these patients.

The aim of this Research Topics is to offer a platform on which to gather available data from the “frontlines”, as the availability of such data will prove crucial to policy makers and medical practitioners alike. Through this platform, we would like to invite managers of cancer centers to gather and report data for the benefit of those who will encounter this infection in the coming weeks and months. To date, no one has yet collected this information.

Potential questions include but are not limited to the following:

1) What are the practical limitations when a patient is found to be positive for COVID-19 (before or) after a session of chemotherapy, immunotherapy and/or targeted therapies?
2) Are cancer patients at increased risk of complications or mortality related to COVID-19 infection?
3) What policies are being adopted in individual countries to manage oncology departments and clinics?
4) How should fragile patients with advanced disease receiving chemotherapy be treated when they are in areas heavily affected by the infection? What ethical and practical implications can there be?

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic outbreak has quickly become an international emergency, likely to have long-lasting effects. However, insufficient time has passed since the onset of this pandemic to enable us to understand how to cope with the infection in cancer patients. The COVID-19 infection can be very serious in elderly patients or those with underlying chronic illnesses and compromised immune systems, as is cancer in all its forms, but no one yet knows how cancer centers are dealing with these patients.

The aim of this Research Topics is to offer a platform on which to gather available data from the “frontlines”, as the availability of such data will prove crucial to policy makers and medical practitioners alike. Through this platform, we would like to invite managers of cancer centers to gather and report data for the benefit of those who will encounter this infection in the coming weeks and months. To date, no one has yet collected this information.

Potential questions include but are not limited to the following:

1) What are the practical limitations when a patient is found to be positive for COVID-19 (before or) after a session of chemotherapy, immunotherapy and/or targeted therapies?
2) Are cancer patients at increased risk of complications or mortality related to COVID-19 infection?
3) What policies are being adopted in individual countries to manage oncology departments and clinics?
4) How should fragile patients with advanced disease receiving chemotherapy be treated when they are in areas heavily affected by the infection? What ethical and practical implications can there be?

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Editors

Nicola Silvestris

University of Messina

Oronzo Brunetti

Bari John Paul II Cancer Institute, National Cancer Institute Foundation (IRCCS)

Antonio Galvano

Department of Surgical, Oncological and Stomatological Sciences, University of Palermo

Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria Policlinico Paolo Giaccone

Thierry Olivier Philip

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Frontiers in Oncology

Cancer Epidemiology and Prevention

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