The impact of Coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic on the treatment of cancer patients: the first steps in this fight

Palliative care for cancer patients during the COVID‐19 pandemic: A narrative synthesis from 36 studies of 16 countries

“…In addition, palliative care facilities face policies relating to infection prevention during special times, overcrowding in health care facilities, and preventing viral infections among vulnerable patients (Costantini et al, 2020;Mehta & Smith, 2020;Porzio et al, 2020;Ting et al, 2020). The main manifestations of this were the large increase in patient demand for palliative care leading to an increase in admissions to treatment units, a relative decrease in hospital admissions, and difficulties in managing patients (Moriyama et al, 2021;Rahnea-Nita et al, 2021). During this period, there were inconsistent changes in the corresponding activities of the institution, reflecting the importance of rational allocation of resources (Penel et al, 2021).…”

“…In several studies and reviews, palliative care has been reported during the COVID-19 epidemic, and options have been proposed. Some literature has focused on the characteristics of cancer patients who received palliative care during the COVID-19 epidemic and their prognosis (Fazilat-Panah et al, 2022;Jeba, 2020;Mahl et al, 2020;Moriyama et al, 2021;Onesti et al, 2021;Rahnea-Nita et al, 2021;Strang et al, 2021;Tashkandi et al, 2021). During this period, palliative care patients had longer hospital stays, higher mortality and infection rates, and poorer prognosis.…”

“…The impact of related policies has made it difficult for patients to access hospitals, resulting in a decrease in institutional admissions and a significant increase in palliative consultation referrals. This situation has made it difficult for institutions to provide and manage palliative care services, and staff have suffered as a result (de Azeredo Siqueira et al, 2021;Dhavale et al, 2020;Franchini et al, 2021;Mishra et al, 2022;Moriyama et al, 2021;Nyblom et al, 2022;Penel et al, 2021;Rahnea-Nita et al, 2021;Santin et al, 2022;Varani et al, 2021). Many options for improving palliative care during the COVID-19 epidemic have also been proposed in the literature, including modification of treatment protocols, enhanced caregiver training, use of electronic patient symptom management programs, and use of telemedicine (Adhikari et al, 2021; Almouaalamy…”

“…During this period, palliative care patients had longer hospital stays, higher mortality and infection rates, and poorer prognosis. Demand for palliative care is rising among cancer patients, putting them at risk of contracting COVID-19 (Almeida et al, 2022;de Oliveira, da Costa Rosa, et al, 2021;Fazilat-Panah et al, 2022;Jeba, 2020;Moriyama et al, 2021;Onesti et al, 2021;Rahnea-Nita et al, 2021;Strang et al, 2021;Tashkandi et al, 2021).…”