Cancer Patients in the Era of Coronavirus: What to Fear Most?

Abstract

Background The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic led to a worldwide medical crisis, affecting mostly immunocompromised patients, such as cancer patients. Various cancer societies have issued recommendations regarding patients care, but few studies addressed the perception of cancer patients regarding this pandemic. Objective The aim of the study was to assess the perception of cancer patients regarding their health risks during this pandemic and the preventive measures taken. Materials and Methods An anonymous survey was conducted among cancer patients presenting for their treatment, during 10 consecutive working days, at the one-day clinic of Hotel-Dieu de France University hospital in Beirut. We evaluated their state of disease, comorbidities, precautions taken, and their concerns regarding the virus spread. Results A total of 216 patients responded with a mean age of 60 years. The majority had a good performance status (performance status = 0–1 in 79.6%), 51.4% had metastatic disease, and chemotherapy was the main therapy used (65.7%). A total of 52.3% of patients considered themselves to be at increased risk of contracting the virus. A total of 55.1% were more worried about the coronavirus rather than their disease. The priority was for the treatment of their cancer in 47.7% of the total patients studied. Of note, only 2.8% of planned one-day clinic reservations were canceled or postponed to avoid COVID-19 exposure. Conclusions Although cancer is a disease with a high mortality rate, many patients are more concerned about the actual pandemic rather than their disease. Nevertheless, the absenteeism from their treatment sessions during the COVID-19 atmosphere was minimal.

COVID‐19 and patients with cancer: Investigating treatment impact, information sources, and COVID‐19–related knowledge, attitudes, and practices

“…This phenomenon was also found to be more pronounced among patients with long‐term diagnoses. Other studies have found that a majority of participants feared the pandemic more than they did cancer itself 12 . Zuliani et al 13 found acceptance among patients for most prevention measures; the exception was telephone appointments, which substantial numbers of patients regarded as inadequate, although a survey of patients at the same cancer center being studied in this article found high levels of satisfaction with virtual care 14 .…”

“…Other studies have found that a majority of participants feared the pandemic more than they did cancer itself. 12 Zuliani et al 13 found acceptance among patients for most prevention measures; the exception was telephone appointments, which substantial numbers of patients regarded as inadequate, although a survey of patients at the same cancer center being studied in this article found high levels of satisfaction with virtual care. 14 Ciążyńska et al, 15 in a study of 260 patients with cancer in Poland in March 2020, found significantly lower self‐reported quality of life among patients during the pandemic in comparison with the general population.…”

The psychosocial and emotional experiences of cancer patients during the COVID-19 pandemic: A systematic review

“…The studies mainly described the participants’ personal fears and health risk of the virus [ 23 ; 35 ; 41 ; 45 ; 51 ; 57 ; 60 ; 62 ; 67 ; [69] , [70] ] or of the impact it will have on society's resources [ 19 ; [71] , [72] ]. In both cases this is further impacted by the perceived behavior of individuals to either adapt or not to the restrictions imposed on them, but also in the way healthcare services behave in response to the pandemic [ 19 ; 24 ; 45 ; 67 ].…”

“…Fear was also expressed as a response to the perceived ability of participants with cancer to respond physically or otherwise to a COVID-19 infection [ 26 ; 28 ; 51 ; 57 ; 71 ], to feel able to continue [ 69 ; 72 ] or curtail their treatment in some way [ 23 ; 45 ].…”

“…There is significant evidence that people with cancer are already living with a heightened awareness of infection prevention, compared to the general population. Positive changes in behavior, such as increased hand hygiene and coping with self-isolation or shielding, were noted in some studies [ 24 ; 35 ; 51 ; 70 ; 72 ].…”