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COVID ‐19 and gynecological cancers: Asia and Oceania Federation of Obstetrics and Gynecology oncology committee opinion
Author(s) -
Tse Ka Yu,
Domingo Efren J.,
Konar Hiralal,
Kumarasamy Suresh,
Pariyar Jitendra,
Tjokroprawiro Brahmana A.,
Ushijima Kimio,
Inthasorn Perapong,
Tan Ai Ling,
Wilailak Sarikapan
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
journal of obstetrics and gynaecology research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.597
H-Index - 50
eISSN - 1447-0756
pISSN - 1341-8076
DOI - 10.1111/jog.14579
Subject(s) - medicine , pandemic , obstetrics and gynaecology , covid-19 , triage , telemedicine , economic shortage , family medicine , health care , gynecology , medical emergency , government (linguistics) , disease , pregnancy , economic growth , linguistics , philosophy , biology , infectious disease (medical specialty) , economics , genetics
Since the outbreak of COVID‐19, there have already been over 26 million people being infected and it is expected that the pandemic will not end in near future. Not only the daily activities and lifestyles of individuals have been affected, the medical practice has also been modified to cope with this emergency catastrophe. In particular, the cancer services have faced an unprecedented challenge. While the services may have been cut by the national authorities or hospitals due to shortage of manpower and resources, the medical need of cancer patients has increased. Cancer patients who are receiving active treatment may develop various kinds of complications especially immunosuppression from chemotherapy, and they and their carers will need additional protection against COVID‐19. Besides, there is also evidence that cancer patients are more prone to deteriorate from COVID‐19 if they contract the viral infection. Therefore, it is crucial to establish guidelines so that healthcare providers can triage their resources to take care of the most needed patients, reduce less important hospitalization and visit, and to avoid potential complications from treatment. The Asia and Oceania Federation of Obstetrics and Gynecology (AOFOG) hereby issued this opinion statement on the management of gynecological cancer patients during the COVID‐19.