TY - JOUR
T1 - Urological Cancer Treatment by a Multidisciplinary Team throughout the Covid-19 Pandemic
T2 - What Have We Learned?
AU - Chavarriaga, Julián
AU - Cataño, Juan Guillermo
AU - Villanueva, Juliana
AU - Sáenz, Daniel
AU - Suso-Palau, Daniel
AU - Rodríguez, Santiago
AU - Villaquiran, Catalina
AU - Galvis, Juan
AU - Pinilla, Paola
AU - Morales, Angélica
AU - Patiño, German
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 Thieme Medical Publishers, Inc.. All rights reserved.
PY - 2021/9/1
Y1 - 2021/9/1
N2 - Introduction It is known that cancer care is best approached by a multidisciplinary team (MDT). This became specifically true in the Covid-19 pandemic in which choices for urological cancer treatment are influenced by many factors. In some cases, delayed treatment may have consequences regarding the patient's oncological outcomes. The aim of the present article is to report our experience throughout the Covid-19 pandemic treating patients with urological neoplasms at a high-volume center. Methods We used a convenience sampling method. Cases were evaluated and discussed on an individual basis at the MDT meetings, and, after a consensus regarding delaying or scheduling treatment, patients were scheduled according to the risk of postponing the procedures. The Medically Necessary, Time-Sensitive (MeNTS) scoring system was measured in each patient; all patients answered the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Covid-19 self-screening questionnaire prior to surgery. The Covid-19-free survival rate was estimated. Results A total of 194 patients were assessed by the multidisciplinary team and finally treated, with median follow-up of 4 (interquartile range [IQR]: 2.75 to 6) months. Only two patients had Covid-19 confirmed by real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). In total, 54 patients underwent oncological surgery, 129 were treated with radiotherapy, and 11 were treated with intravenous chemotherapy. The median age was 66 years (IQR: 59 to 94 years), and the median MeNTS score in the surgically-treated cohort was 35 points (IQR: 31 to 47 points). Conclusions The evaluation and treatment of urological cancer should be conducted by an MDT; this is of utmost importance, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic. The data collected in our institution showed that most patients could be safely treated by taking all necessary precautions and discussing each case individually in the MDT meetings and performing a close follow-up.
AB - Introduction It is known that cancer care is best approached by a multidisciplinary team (MDT). This became specifically true in the Covid-19 pandemic in which choices for urological cancer treatment are influenced by many factors. In some cases, delayed treatment may have consequences regarding the patient's oncological outcomes. The aim of the present article is to report our experience throughout the Covid-19 pandemic treating patients with urological neoplasms at a high-volume center. Methods We used a convenience sampling method. Cases were evaluated and discussed on an individual basis at the MDT meetings, and, after a consensus regarding delaying or scheduling treatment, patients were scheduled according to the risk of postponing the procedures. The Medically Necessary, Time-Sensitive (MeNTS) scoring system was measured in each patient; all patients answered the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Covid-19 self-screening questionnaire prior to surgery. The Covid-19-free survival rate was estimated. Results A total of 194 patients were assessed by the multidisciplinary team and finally treated, with median follow-up of 4 (interquartile range [IQR]: 2.75 to 6) months. Only two patients had Covid-19 confirmed by real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). In total, 54 patients underwent oncological surgery, 129 were treated with radiotherapy, and 11 were treated with intravenous chemotherapy. The median age was 66 years (IQR: 59 to 94 years), and the median MeNTS score in the surgically-treated cohort was 35 points (IQR: 31 to 47 points). Conclusions The evaluation and treatment of urological cancer should be conducted by an MDT; this is of utmost importance, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic. The data collected in our institution showed that most patients could be safely treated by taking all necessary precautions and discussing each case individually in the MDT meetings and performing a close follow-up.
KW - Covid-19
KW - medical practice management
KW - pandemics
KW - urologic neoplasms
KW - urologic surgical procedures
KW - urology
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85116509290&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1055/s-0041-1731414
DO - 10.1055/s-0041-1731414
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85116509290
SN - 0120-789X
VL - 30
SP - E210-E216
JO - Urologia Colombiana
JF - Urologia Colombiana
IS - 3
ER -
