TY - JOUR
T1 - Impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on pediatric oncology care in the Middle East, North Africa, and West Asia region
T2 - A report from the Pediatric Oncology East and Mediterranean (POEM) group
AU - Saab, Raya
AU - Obeid, Anas
AU - Gachi, Fatiha
AU - Boudiaf, Houda
AU - Sargsyan, Lilit
AU - Al-Saad, Khulood
AU - Javakhadze, Tamar
AU - Mehrvar, Azim
AU - Abbas, Sawsan Sati
AU - Abed Al-Agele, Yasir Saadoon
AU - Al-Haddad, Salma
AU - Al Ani, Mouroge Hashim
AU - Al-Sweedan, Suleiman
AU - Al Kofide, Amani
AU - Jastaniah, Wasil
AU - Khalifa, Nisreen
AU - Bechara, Elie
AU - Baassiri, Malek
AU - Noun, Peter
AU - El-Houdzi, Jamila
AU - Khattab, Mohammed
AU - Sagar Sharma, Krishna
AU - Wali, Yasser
AU - Mushtaq, Naureen
AU - Batool, Aliya
AU - Faizan, Mahwish
AU - Raza, Muhammad Rafie
AU - Najajreh, Mohammad
AU - Mohammed Abdallah, Mohammed Awad
AU - Sousan, Ghada
AU - Ghanem, Khaled M.
AU - Kocak, Ulker
AU - Kutluk, Tezer
AU - Demir, Hacı Ahmet
AU - Hodeish, Hamoud
AU - Muwakkit, Samar
AU - Belgaumi, Asim
AU - Al-Rawas, Abdul Hakim
AU - Jeha, Sima
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2020 American Cancer Society
PY - 2020/9/15
Y1 - 2020/9/15
N2 - Background: Childhood cancer is a highly curable disease when timely diagnosis and appropriate therapy are provided. A negative impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on access to care for children with cancer is likely but has not been evaluated. METHODS: A 34-item survey focusing on barriers to pediatric oncology management during the COVID-19 pandemic was distributed to heads of pediatric oncology units within the Pediatric Oncology East and Mediterranean (POEM) collaborative group, from the Middle East, North Africa, and West Asia. Responses were collected on April 11 through 22, 2020. Corresponding rates of proven COVID-19 cases and deaths were retrieved from the World Health Organization database. Results: In total, 34 centers from 19 countries participated. Almost all centers applied guidelines to optimize resource utilization and safety, including delaying off-treatment visits, rotating and reducing staff, and implementing social distancing, hand hygiene measures, and personal protective equipment use. Essential treatments, including chemotherapy, surgery, and radiation therapy, were delayed in 29% to 44% of centers, and 24% of centers restricted acceptance of new patients. Clinical care delivery was reported as negatively affected in 28% of centers. Greater than 70% of centers reported shortages in blood products, and 47% to 62% reported interruptions in surgery and radiation as well as medication shortages. However, bed availability was affected in <30% of centers, reflecting the low rates of COVID-19 hospitalizations in the corresponding countries at the time of the survey. Conclusions: Mechanisms to approach childhood cancer treatment delivery during crises need to be re-evaluated, because treatment interruptions and delays are expected to affect patient outcomes in this otherwise largely curable disease.
AB - Background: Childhood cancer is a highly curable disease when timely diagnosis and appropriate therapy are provided. A negative impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on access to care for children with cancer is likely but has not been evaluated. METHODS: A 34-item survey focusing on barriers to pediatric oncology management during the COVID-19 pandemic was distributed to heads of pediatric oncology units within the Pediatric Oncology East and Mediterranean (POEM) collaborative group, from the Middle East, North Africa, and West Asia. Responses were collected on April 11 through 22, 2020. Corresponding rates of proven COVID-19 cases and deaths were retrieved from the World Health Organization database. Results: In total, 34 centers from 19 countries participated. Almost all centers applied guidelines to optimize resource utilization and safety, including delaying off-treatment visits, rotating and reducing staff, and implementing social distancing, hand hygiene measures, and personal protective equipment use. Essential treatments, including chemotherapy, surgery, and radiation therapy, were delayed in 29% to 44% of centers, and 24% of centers restricted acceptance of new patients. Clinical care delivery was reported as negatively affected in 28% of centers. Greater than 70% of centers reported shortages in blood products, and 47% to 62% reported interruptions in surgery and radiation as well as medication shortages. However, bed availability was affected in <30% of centers, reflecting the low rates of COVID-19 hospitalizations in the corresponding countries at the time of the survey. Conclusions: Mechanisms to approach childhood cancer treatment delivery during crises need to be re-evaluated, because treatment interruptions and delays are expected to affect patient outcomes in this otherwise largely curable disease.
KW - care delivery
KW - coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)
KW - middle-income countries
KW - pandemic
KW - pediatric oncology
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85087697770&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1002/cncr.33075
DO - 10.1002/cncr.33075
M3 - Article
C2 - 32648950
AN - SCOPUS:85087697770
SN - 0008-543X
VL - 126
SP - 4235
EP - 4245
JO - Cancer
JF - Cancer
IS - 18
ER -
