A European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) interdisciplinary expert consensus paper on how to manage cancer patients during the COVID-19 pandemic has been published.
It encourages medical oncologists worldwide not to discontinue or delay any type of anti-cancer treatment that may potentially impact on overall survival. The experts also urge an end to labelling all cancer patients as vulnerable to coronavirus infection, since this may lead to inappropriate care and potential negative outcomes.
Earlier this year, ESMO developed guidelines for prioritising the various aspects of cancer care across different tumour types, with the aim to mitigate the negative effects of the pandemic on the management of cancer patients.