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Review
. 2022 Mar 4;14(5):1334.
doi: 10.3390/cancers14051334.

Safety and Feasibility of Lung Cancer Surgery under the COVID-19 Circumstance

Lawek Berzenji  1 , Leonie Vercauteren  1 , Suresh K Yogeswaran  1 , Patrick Lauwers  1 , Jeroen M H Hendriks  1 , Paul E Van Schil  1
Affiliations
Review

Safety and Feasibility of Lung Cancer Surgery under the COVID-19 Circumstance

Lawek Berzenji et al. Cancers (Basel). .

Abstract

The current coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has forced healthcare providers worldwide to adapt their practices. Our understanding of the effects of COVID-19 has increased exponentially since the beginning of the pandemic. Data from large-scale, international registries has provided more insight regarding risk factors for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infections and has allowed us to delineate specific subgroups of patients that have higher risks for severe complications. One particular subset of patients that have significantly higher risks of SARS-CoV-2 infection with higher morbidity and mortality rates are those that require surgical treatment for lung cancer. Earlier studies have shown that COVID-19 infections in patients that underwent lung cancer surgery is associated with higher rates of respiratory failure and mortality. However, deferral of cancer treatments is associated with increased mortality as well. This creates difficult situations in which healthcare providers are forced to weigh the benefits of surgical treatment against the possibility of SARS-CoV-2 infections. A number of oncological and surgical organizations have proposed treatment guidelines and recommendations for patients planned for lung cancer surgery. In this review, we summarize the latest data and recommendations for patients undergoing lung cancer surgery in the COVID-19 circumstance.

Keywords: COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; feasibility; guidelines; lung cancer; safety; surgery.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Flowchart showing different priorities for surgical management of patients with lung cancer (based on ESMO guidelines). GGO, ground glass opacity; NSCLC, non-small cell lung cancer; VDT, volume doubling time.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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