COVID-19 pandemic has affected healthcare services across the globe and cancer care delivery is not an exception. Global lockdown has largely changed the cancer care practice from hospital visits to teleconsultations to check the spread of novel coronavirus 2019 as cancer patients are more susceptible to any infection than other individuals because of their systemic immunosuppressive state caused by the malignancy and anticancer treatments.
There have been many important issues to be addressed as far as cancer care delivery in amid COVID-19 pandemic is concerned. APJCP has recorded a very high number of submission related to cancer management and COVID-19 but it is very difficult to accommodate all the manuscript on similar topic respecting the diversity of our journal. Cancer care is in limbo as patients are unable to reach to hospital in view of imposed travel restrictions. As this disease is very new, there is a paucity of data on experience of cancer management in this crisis from different countries and most of the data are emerging from China.
APOCP and its west Asia chapter (WAOCP) will collaborate with Asian National Cancer Centers Alliance (ANCCA) to address the effect of the pandemic on cancer care practices in Asian countries and population. For this, three major survey and symposium will measure the effect of pandemic on care delivery, cancer prevention strategy, and how different cancer centers have addressed the limitation, lock-down, etc… The aim is to develop a forum to learn from each other in a season of fast changing realities. Read more…