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
Review
. 2021 Jan 12:19:705-709.
doi: 10.1016/j.csbj.2021.01.005. eCollection 2021.

Managing children with brain tumors during the COVID-19 era: Don't stop the care!

Michele Antonio Capozza  1 , Silvia Triarico  1 , Giorgio Attinà  1 , Alberto Romano  1 , Stefano Mastrangelo  1 , Palma Maurizi  1 , Paolo Frassanito  2 , Federico Bianchi  2 , Tommaso Verdolotti  3 , Marco Gessi  4 , Mario Balducci  5 , Luca Massimi  2 , Gianpiero Tamburrini  2 , Antonio Ruggiero  1 ; Gemelli Pediatric Neuro-Oncology Tumor Board
Affiliations
Review

Managing children with brain tumors during the COVID-19 era: Don't stop the care!

Michele Antonio Capozza et al. Comput Struct Biotechnol J. .

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has substantially stressed health care systems globally, subsequently reducing cancer care services and delaying treatments. Pediatric populations infected by COVID-19 have shown mild clinical symptoms compared to adults, perhaps due to decreased susceptibility. Several scientific societies and governments have released information on the management of patients with cancer, wherein they warn against exposure to SARS-CoV-2 infection and suggest continuing treatment. To determine the best diagnostic and therapeutic approach, multidisciplinary tumor boards should convene regularly, including through conference calls and telematics platforms. A prompt diagnostic workup may reduce children's suffering and prevent loss of confidence in the health care system among parents. Moreover, ensuring adequate support and information regarding measures for preventing SARS-CoV-2 infection in pediatric patients and their families is essential for avoiding panic and excessive stress, allowing early reporting of any suspected symptoms of cancer and, in turn, facilitating early diagnosis and prompt modulation of treatment.

Keywords: Brain tumors; COVID-19; Care; Children.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

References

    1. Adil M.T., Rahman R., Whitelaw D. SARS-CoV-2 and the pandemic of COVID-19. Postgrad Med J. 2020 doi: 10.1136/postgradmedj-2020-138386. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Contini C., Di Nuzzo M., Barp N. The novel zoonotic COVID-19 pandemic: An expected global health concern. J Infect Dev Ctries. 2020;14:254–264. doi: 10.3855/jidc.12671. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Sinaei R., Pezeshki S., Parvaresh S. Why COVID-19 is less frequent and severe in children: a narrative review. World J Pediatr. 2020;25:1–11. doi: 10.1007/s12519-020-00392-y. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Qiu H., Wu J., Hong L., Luo Y., Song Q., Chen D. Clinical and epidemiological features of 36 children with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Zhejiang, China: an observational cohort study. Lancet Infect Dis. 2020;20(6):689–696. doi: 10.1016/S1473-3099(20)30198-5. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Ciuca I.M. COVID-19 in Children: An Ample Review. Risk Manag Healthc Policy. 2020;13:661–669. doi: 10.2147/RMHP.S257180. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources