COVID-19: global consequences for oncology

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COVID-19: global consequences for oncology

Patients with cancer are a high-risk group in the COVID-19 pandemic. They are already vulnerable to infection because of their underlying illness and often immunosuppressed status, and are at increased risk of developing severe complications from the virus, including intensive care unit admission or even death. Moreover, for those who develop COVID-19, treatment of the disease will be prioritised, and further cancer therapy could be delayed, although such decisions must be made on a patient-by-patient basis and not based only on the early small reports published in the first few weeks of the pandemic. Media reports have described patients with cancer in quarantined cities being unable to travel to appointments or struggling to obtain essential medicines; the risk of interruptions in drug supply chains and consequent shortages will exacerbate this issue. Scheduled operations, some types of cancer treatment, and appointments are being cancelled or postponed to prioritise hospital beds and care for those who are seriously ill with COVID-19. In England, UK, despite the 2020 budget promising several billion pounds of extra NHS funding to help tackle the outbreak, when cases of COVID-19 peak in the coming weeks the NHS will undoubtedly be forced to delay non-urgent treatments and surgeries as resources and personnel are repurposed.

Unfortunately, the effects of COVID-19 are not solely limited to the treatment of patients with cancer, but will also hit the wider oncology community, with inevitable consequences for research, education, and collaboration. University campuses in the worst hit countries have shut down, with many others expected to follow. Some of those affected, including the University of Bologna, Italy, have responded by digitising their teaching programmes, moving classes and exams online to alleviate the educational impact. However, such solutions cannot be used for practical laboratory work or field studies, and ongoing research projects are being jeopardised. Limited resources and capacity will force institutions to decide which clinical trials to prioritise and which to suspend. Many institutions, including the Dana Farber Cancer Institute (Boston, MA, USA) are restricting employees’ work-related travel, and others such as the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center (Seattle, WA, USA—one of the worst-affected US cities) are implementing mandatory work from home policies. However, not all centres in affected regions have similar policies, and such heterogeneity might create imbalances in patient cohorts in multicentre trials, potentially biasing eventual results.

Journal of Oncology Translational Research with ISSN number: 2476-2261 is seeking to publish articles that includes a wide range of topics in this field and creates a platform for the authors to make their contribution towards the journal. The journal covers all aspects of modern research on cancer, from the more basic discoveries dealing with both cell and molecular biology of tumour cells, to the most advanced clinical assays of conventional and new drugs including risk assessment, cellular and molecular characterization, prevention, detection, diagnosis and treatment of human cancers with the overall goal of improving the clinical care of oncology patients and creates a platform for the authors to contribute towards the journal. The authors may forward the manuscript as an email attachment whereby the editorial office takes care of the further processing.

To submit manuscript online please click here: https://www.scholarscentral.org/submissions/oncology translational-research.html
To send as attachment, email to: oncologytransres@oncologyinsights.org

Media contact,
Jessica Rose
Journal of Oncology Translational Research
Email: oncologytransres@medicalresjournals.com
Whatsapp no: +44-1470-490003