An Expert Opinion Regarding the Management of Lower Gastrointestinal Cancers During COVID-19 Outbreak in Iran: A Brief Report

  • Seyed Rouhollah Miri Cancer Institute, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
  • Habibollah Mahmoodzadeh Breast Disease Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
  • Farimah Hadjilooei Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
  • Parham Khoshdani Farahani Department of General Surgery, Alborz University of Medical Sciences, Karaj, Iran
  • Mohammad Moradi Firoozgar Development Research Center (FDRC), Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
  • Mahdi Alemrajabi Firoozgar Development Research Center (FDRC), Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
  • Fereidoon Memari Cancer Institute, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Keywords: Lower gastrointestinal cancers; Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19); Outbreak

Abstract

Lower gastrointestinal cancer patients, like other immunosuppressed patients, are vulnerable to develop more severe infections. Iran is one of the countries with a high incidence of COVID-19, and some modifications are needed to adjust international protocols to deal with this pandemic. Therefore, our cancer institute has implemented some changes in the current treatment guidelines. In each specialty, all members agreed to choose the minimal intervention. The members know that some recommendations may interfere with the routine best-practice recommendations and decrease the quality measures in the patient's outcome. Therefore, these recommendations are valid just in the epidemic COVID-19 situation in the country. According to the consensus of colorectal and cancer surgery professors, if a patient is a new case of rectal cancer, he or she should be referred to undergo neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy. But if the patient comes eight to twelve weeks after receiving chemoradiotherapy in accordance with the COVID-19 epidemic phase, it may be possible to delay surgery. A stent can be implanted in a patient with rectal cancer who presents with obstructive symptoms, and surgery can be postponed until resolving the crisis of the COVID-19 epidemic or its downward trend. For colon cancer, we will request a thoracic spiral CT scan. If there was no evidence of pulmonary involvement with COVID-19, the patient would undergo open surgery considering the patient's health and protection tips.

Published
2021-07-06
Section
Articles