COVID-19 Outbreak and Oncological Surgery Practice

In this study, we aimed to address cancer-related operations during the COVID-19 outbreak. We retrospectively reviewed 26 patients who had undergone cancer surgeries admitted from March 13 to May 13, 2020, during the COVID-19 epidemic at Istanbul Bagcilar Training and Research Hospital, as a pandemic hospital. A total of 26 cases of COVID-19 were enrolled in the study. Seventeen (65%) were female, and 9 (35%) were male. The mean age was 52.4 (range 28 –74). The mean body mass index (BMI) is 27.8 kg/m2 (range 17.6 –34.0). Eight of them had comorbidities. 7 patients needed an intensive care unit (ICU). Only one patient was COVID-19 positive in the PCR test, while the others were negative. In addition to this patient, 3 other patients were COVID-19 positive on computed tomography (CT). The patients included i n this study underwent various oncologic surgery procedures. While 24 patients were discharged without any problems, 2 patients developed complications. Due to respiratory problems, the patient could not get out of intensive care and died on the sixth postoperative day. It is the obligation of the i nstitutions and the medical staff to reassure patients by creating safe postoperative surgical environments free of COVID-19. Surgeon leaders need to synthesize actual data to make the best decisions for their cancer patients.
Source: Indian Journal of Surgical Oncology - Category: Cancer & Oncology Source Type: research