- All cancer services in the EU and US experienced partial or complete interruption toward the beginning of the pandemic
- The high costs associated with both cancer treatment and COVID-19 treatment made it difficult for governments to allocate medical costs and caused both treatment regimens to suffer
- The high overlap of symptoms between certain cancer types and COVID-19 increased the difficulty of identifying a comorbidity and made treatment more difficult, this adversely affected cancer management and, in some cases, caused lower diagnoses rates of certain cancer types


Ohio State University, Columbus

- Since cancer patients are at such a high risk for COVID-19, it is very important that physicians keep their treatment regimens for all medications under extreme control and very monitored
- It was identified that patients with hematologic cancers tend to have poorer outcomes than those with solid tumors and therefore they must be kept under constant surveillance for COVID-19 infection
- The purpose of this paper is to give a 1-year recap on cancer management techniques instituted during the COVID-19 pandemic


Safeguarding COVID-19 and cancer management: drug design and therapeutic approach

Thorat N, Pricl S, Parchur AK et al. Safeguarding COVID-19 and cancer management: drug design and therapeutic approach [version 1; peer review: awaiting peer review]. Open Research Europe 2021, 1:77 (https://doi.org/10.12688/openreseurope.13841.1)

URL: https://open-research-europe.ec.europa.eu/articles/1-77

COVID-19 Impact on Cancer Management

- Many anti-inflammatory, anticancer, and antiviral therapies were used to somewhat treat the effects of COVID-19, which depleted said resources for cancer patients, making it more difficult for patients to receive adequate treatment
- In order to mitigate a surge in cancer and COVID-19 comorbid cases, WHO implemented the following guidance
     - Attenuate and prevent COVID-19 transmission in cancer patients
     - Develop new antiviral and anticancer therapy protocols that can provide optimal care for all patients
     - Develop fast-track solutions to promote effective multiple treatments
     - Ensure cancer research and care continuity while battling COVID-19
- It was identified that during cancer treatment, cancer patients administered immunosuppressants experienced much higher rates of COVID-19 as T cell response was depleted which is the primary method the body uses to fight a COVID-19 infection
- Comorbid cancer patients saw positive outcomes when given provided with immunotherapy and endocrine therapy that sought to boost their immune systems
- More widespread implementation of newer chemotherapeutics that improve the host immune system’s ability to recognize and destroy is recommended as it would allow for less immunosuppression and a lower chance of COVID-19 infection
- Table 3 below has also been included as it goes over many of the specific recommendations this paper gives as to how cancer treatment may need to change for beyond the COVID-19 era


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