Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2020 May 5;22(7):928-935.
doi: 10.1093/neuonc/noaa113. Online ahead of print.

Neuro-oncology Management During the COVID-19 Pandemic With a Focus on WHO Grade III and IV Gliomas

Denise Bernhardt  1   2   3 , Wolfgang Wick  4 , Stephanie E Weiss  5 , Arjun Sahgal  6 , Simon S Lo  7 , John H Suh  8 , Eric L Chang  9 , Matthew Foote  10 , James Perry  11 , Bernhard Meyer  12 , Peter Vajkoczy  13 , Patrick Y Wen  14 , Christoph Straube  1   2   3 , Steffi Pigorsch  1   2   3 , Jan J Wilkens  1 , Stephanie E Combs  1   2   3
Affiliations

Neuro-oncology Management During the COVID-19 Pandemic With a Focus on WHO Grade III and IV Gliomas

Denise Bernhardt et al. Neuro Oncol. .

Abstract

Background: Because of the increased risk in cancer patients of developing complications caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), physicians have to balance the competing risks of the negative impact of the pandemic and the primary tumor. In this consensus statement, an international group of experts present mitigation strategies and treatment guidance for patients suffering from high grade gliomas (HGG) during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

Method / results: 16 international experts in the treatment of HGG contributed to this consensus-based practice recommendation including neuro-oncologists, neurosurgeons, radiation -oncologists and a medical physicist. Generally, treatment of neuro-oncological patients cannot be significantly delayed and initiating therapy should not be outweighed by COVID-19. We present detailed interdisciplinary treatment strategies for molecular subgroups in two pandemic scenarios, a scale-up phase and a crisis phase.

Conclusion: This practice recommendation presents a pragmatic framework and consensus-based mitigation strategies for the treatment of HGG patients during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic.

Keywords: COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; glioblastoma; high-grade glioma; neuro-oncology.

PubMed Disclaimer

Comment in

References

    1. Institute of Medicine. 2010. Crisis Standards of Care: Summary of a Workshop Series. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. - PubMed
    1. Stupp R, Mason WP, van den Bent MJ, et al. Radiotherapy plus concomitant and adjuvant temozolomide for glioblastoma. N Engl J Med. 2005;352(10):987–996. - PubMed
    1. Weller M, van den Bent M, Tonn JC, et al. European Association for Neuro-Oncology (EANO) guideline on the diagnosis and treatment of adult astrocytic and oligodendroglial gliomas. Lancet Oncol. 2017;18(6):e315–e329. - PubMed
    1. Sanai N, Polley MY, McDermott MW, Parsa AT, Berger MS. An extent of resection threshold for newly diagnosed glioblastomas: clinical article. J Neurosurg. 2011;115(1):3–8. - PubMed
    1. Bloch O, Han SJ, Cha S, et al. Impact of extent of resection for recurrent glioblastoma on overall survival: clinical article. J Neurosurg. 2012;117(6):1032–1038. - PubMed