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04-09-2020 | COVID-19 | News

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COVID-19: Consensus ESMO guidelines on managing cancer patients issued

Author: Shreeya Nanda

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medwireNews: ESMO has issued interdisciplinary consensus guidelines to support clinicians in providing optimal care for their patients with cancer in the COVID-19 era.

Earlier in the year, ESMO adapted existing guidance for prioritizing different aspects of cancer care across the different tumor types with a view to mitigate the negative effects of the pandemic on cancer patient management.

The current guidelines, published in the Annals of Oncology, were developed using modified Delphi methodology, and are based on a literature review, with input from 64 experts and one patient advocate.

The document provides advice on issues such as testing for SARS-CoV-2 in cancer patients, preventive measures for patients and healthcare workers, and continuation of anticancer therapy. There are also recommendations for treatments to manage side effects of anticancer therapies and best practice for managing adjuvant treatment in patients with breast, lung, or rectal cancer.

“Ultimately, this set of statements will serve as a dynamic knowledge repository that will be better informed by accumulating data” on the biology of the virus, the risk for COVID-19 in cancer patients and modulating factors, and on optimal cancer care in the presence of the virus,” conclude Giuseppe Curigliano (European Institute of Oncology, Milan, Italy) and fellow authors.

medwireNews is an independent medical news service provided by Springer Healthcare Ltd. © 2020 Springer Healthcare Ltd, part of the Springer Nature Group

4 September 2020: The coronavirus pandemic is affecting all healthcare professionals across the globe. Medicine Matters’ focus, in this difficult time, is the dissemination of the latest data to support you in your research and clinical practice, based on the scientific literature. We will update the information we provide on the site, as the data are published. However, please refer to your own professional and governmental guidelines for the latest guidance in your own country.

Ann Oncol 2020; doi:10.1016/j.annonc.2020.07.010

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