Cancer patients have an increased risk of reactivation of latent tuberculosis infection. It is unknown which strategy on screening should be used in this population in developing countries. We aimed to determine the concordance between the tuberculin skin test (TST) and QuantiFERON®-TB (QFT) assay in order to diagnose latent tuberculosis infection in cancer patients.We conducted a cross-sectional study of the agreement of diagnostic tests. Prevalence and agreement between tests were calculated. A logistic regression to assess predictors of discordance was performed. The accuracy of the TST to predict QFT results by a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was evaluated.We included 149 adults with cancer without active tuberculosis. Prevalence of latent tuberculosis infection was 21.5% (n=32), defined as positive results on either test. Test agreement was moderate for the diagnosis of latent tuberculosis infection (κ=0.43, 90% CI 0.26–0.6). No predictor was associated with the chance of discordant results. Agreement improved slightly using a cut-off point ≥8 mm (κ=0.5, 90% CI 0.35–0.66).In a moderate-incidence setting, a moderate agreement was found between tests in cancer patients. Modification of the cut-off points of test results achieved marginally better agreement between the TST and QFT.

Our findings raise the need to carefully evaluate patients with metastatic cancer, in progression, and with impaired ECOG to define the relevance of cancer treatment during the pandemic, consider the risk/benefit of the interventions, and establish clear and complete communication with the patients and their families about the risk of complications. There is also the importance of offering additional support to patients with low income and residence in rural areas so that they can have more support during cancer treatment.

Cisplatin is the standard of treatment for squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN) that has demonstrated efficacy, either in locally advanced disease when combined with radiotherapy at high doses, or in metastatic/recurrent disease when combined with other agents. However, the usual toxicities related to cisplatin, such as neurotoxicity, nephrotoxicity, ototoxicity, and hematologic toxicities, especially when high doses have been administered, have important implications in the patients’ quality of life. The decision to administer cisplatin depends on several patient factors, such as age, performance status, weight loss, comorbidities, previous toxicities, chronic viral infection, or even the current SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. In order to establish recommendations for the management of patients with SCCHN, a group of experts in medical and radiation oncology from Spain and Latin-American discussed how to identify patients who are not candidates for cisplatin to offer them the most suitable therapeutic alternative.

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Ante la pandemia COVID 19, declarada en marzo de 2020 por la Organización Mundial de la Salud (OMS), desde la Asociación Colombiana de Hematología y Oncología (ACHO) hemos venido emitiendo comunicaciones destinadas a orientar a los profesionales de la salud implicados en el tratamiento de pacientes hematológicos y oncológicos. Consideramos importante realizar una nueva actualización dada la fase de mitigación de la pandemia que actualmente estamos enfrentando y ante el planteamiento gubernamental de desdescalonamiento progresivo, de la cuarentena.Estas recomendaciones no pretenden imponer una conducta única pues entendemos que cada caso es particular y debe actuarse individualizando a cada situación específica. Están basadas en documentos emitidos por asociaciones científicas oncológicas y hematológicas reconocidas y son susceptibles de sufrir modificaciones a medida que se disponga de mayor información.