SURGICAL ONCOLOGY FOR NON-COVID-19 PATIENTS DURING THE PANDEMIC

Introduction/Background*The COVID-19 pandemic has turned the standard of care of medicine worldwide into a “public health emergency of international concern. “Cancer patients are a unique population in that they are vulnerable to COVID-19, particularly if immunocompromised, and also, their oncologic outcome is based on the type and timing of the treatment.MethodologyA retrospective review comparing all surgical activities between the year before COVID-19 and the year after.This study was conducted in the Surgical Oncology Department in Salah Azaiez Institute of Oncology, the reference cancer care center in Tunisia.Result(s)*In our center, we created a new surgical procedures team.There was a significant reduction in the median daily breast surgery, superficial surgery, and ambulatory surgery (< 0,001). But not all operation types decreasing in frequency.Three months after COVID -19, we selected patients for laparotomy and decreased our activity by 50%.Starting from June 2020, we have increased our activity to exceed that of 2019. No increase in mortality or morbidity from treatment during COVID-19 for operated patients.The total surgically consults volume decreased by 36,17% in the post-COVID-19 period, significantly reducing the median daily consult volume (p<0.001).Conclusion*In this new context, the decision for surgery is driven not only by what is best for the individual patient but also by the concern for transmitting COVID-19 to patients and health care workers.