COVID-19 and cancer: How to protect 'the most vulnerable' during pandemic

HemOnc Today spoke with several oncology and infectious disease experts about the potential impact of the pandemic on individuals with cancer, how treatment may be affected, key factors providers should consider when caring for patients with concerning symptoms, and strategies clinicians can employ to ensure their own wellness during a time of extreme stress and uncertainty "The real risk is the consequences for someone with a compromised immune system who does contract it, as they could be much more severe than they would be for an average healthy person," Andrew M Evens, DO, MSc, associate director for clinical services and director of the lymphoma program at Rutgers Cancer Institute, as well as medical director of the oncology service line at RWJBarnabas Health, told HemOnc Today Heterogeneity of the cohort, the small sample size and the fact that some of those with a cancer history also had high blood pressure, COPD or diabetes - all of which increase infection susceptibility - make the findings difficult to interpret, Pergam said [ ]provider-patient communication can reduce the likelihood that a person who poses a threat to others walks through the door, according to Tina Tan, MD, professor of pediatrics at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and an infectious disease attending at Ann and Robert H Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago