Abstract CT404: Adapting oncologic practice to COVID19 outbreak: From outpatient triage to risk assessment for specific treatment in Madrid, Spain

Abstract

Abstract Since December 2019, when the first cases of pneumonia associated with a new coronavirus were reported in Wuhan (China), we have witnessed the rapid and massive spread of this disease; affecting more than 2 million people worldwide in mid-April. Cancer patients, especially those undergoing active chemotherapy, are especially vulnerable due to treatment-induced immunosuppression and their frequent comorbidities. Despite an increasing number of papers describing the characteristics of the disease and its possible treatments, oncology patients barely represent a minority in the series reported so far, and their peculiar characteristics are not detailed in these publications. On March 6, 2020, when officially in Spain there were only 117 cases and 2 deceased from COVID19, a patient admitted for another reason was diagnosed with Sars-CoV-2 related infection In the following 48 hours, a full set of new procedures were put in place that modified all the clinical care of our oncology patients. Regarding Day Hospital and Outpatient clinics on-site active screening by trained staff for all patients and companions were implemented. Also we limited the number of outpatient visits to minimum indispensable. All chemo Treatments were reconsidered based on objectives, life expectancy, and type of therapy and clinical status of every patient. For all patients admitted routine blood test and Chest Xr or CT of the lungs performed previously to been transferred to Ward. Specifics and separate wards for suspected, confirmed and negative coronavirus patients were prepared as well as dedicated staff (including Oncologist, Infectious Diseases Consultants and Internist) to attend COVID19 + patients 24/7 Since March 9th, more than 280 cancer patients have been actively screened for Sars-coV-2 infection, and 90 patients have been admitted to be specifically treated for this disease. Data on clinical characteristics and outcomes for the first 63 patients will be presented, with special mention to tumor burden, grade of immunosuppression, type of treatment and comorbidities. Preliminary data on Tocilizumab treatment on this setting will also be shared as well as some significant relationships between clinical and analytical parameters and risk of severe pulmonary and vascular events in this population. Citation Format: Carlos Gomez-Martin. Adapting oncologic practice to COVID19 outbreak: From outpatient triage to risk assessment for specific treatment in Madrid, Spain [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research 2020; 2020 Apr 27-28 and Jun 22-24. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2020;80(16 Suppl):Abstract nr CT404.