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Head and neck survivorship care in the times of the SARS‐CoV ‐2 pandemic
Author(s) -
Huang Victoria W.,
Imam Sarah A.,
Nguyen Shaun A.
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
head and neck
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.012
H-Index - 127
eISSN - 1097-0347
pISSN - 1043-3074
DOI - 10.1002/hed.26235
Subject(s) - pandemic , medicine , head and neck cancer , survivorship curve , covid-19 , telemedicine , case fatality rate , cancer , population , health care , coronavirus , stressor , disease , intensive care medicine , medical emergency , environmental health , infectious disease (medical specialty) , economic growth , psychiatry , economics
With the arrival of the coronavirus disease (SARS‐CoV‐2) in the United States, care practice paradigms have drastically changed. Data from China suggest that the new virus poses additional risks as case fatality of patients with cancer was higher at 5.6% compared to 2.3% of the general population. There are three proposed major strategies to address care for patients with cancer in this SARS‐CoV‐2 pandemic with postponing treatment for those with stable cancer, increasing personal protection provisions for patients with cancer, and increasing monitoring if a patient becomes infected with SARS‐CoV‐2. In this present commentary, we discuss the unique mental health challenges and burdens of patients with head and neck cancer in the times of the SARS‐CoV‐2 pandemic and approaches to mitigate these stressors through telemedicine to reduce future burdens to the patient and the health care system.