Abstract
The COVID‐19 pandemic resulted in significant reconfiguration of gynecologic cancer services and care pathways across the globe, with a transformation of working practices. Services had to adapt to protect their vulnerable patients from infection, whilst providing care despite reduced resources/capacity and staffing. The international gynecologic cancer community introduced modified clinical care guidelines. Remote working, reduced hospital visiting, routine COVID‐testing, and use of COVID‐free surgical areas/hubs enabled the ongoing and safe delivery of complex cancer care, with priority levels for cancer treatments established to guide decision‐making by multidisciplinary tumor boards. Some 2.3 million cancer surgeries were delayed or cancelled during the first peak, with many patients reporting significant anxiety/concern for cancer progression and COVID infection. Although COVID trials were prioritized, recruitment to other cancer trials/research activity was significantly reduced. The impact of resultant protocol deviations on outcomes remains to be established. During the recovery healthcare services must maintain capacity and flexibility to manage future surges of infection, address the large backlog of patients with altered or delayed treatments, along with salvaging screening and prevention services. Training needs/mental well‐being of trainees need addressing and staff burnout prevented. Future research needs to fully evaluate the impact of COVID‐19 on long‐term patient outcomes.
Highlights
1 | COV I D -19 A N D TH E I M PAC T O N GYNECOLOGIC CANCER CARE
The ongoing pandemic has led to a global crisis disrupting most health systems and economies worldwide, leading to at least 195 million confirmed infections with 4 million deaths, as of July 2021.1 It has had a profound effect on many areas of health care and a major impact on cancer care
Health systems and gynecologic cancer services have had to cope with a number of additional factors/stresses, including staff sickness and self-isolation, staff redeployment for COVID care, reduced theatre availability/capacity for elective oncology, reduced intensive care units (ITU) access for complex surgery, reduced palliative care access, supply chain shortages, reduced hospital visits, and moves toward remote consultations.[5,6]
Summary
1 | COV I D -19 A N D TH E I M PAC T O N GYNECOLOGIC CANCER CARE. Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The international gynecologic oncology community developed modifications to clinical care across the spectrum of surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and treatment timelines from first presentation to relapse and palliation.
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