The CovidSurg Collaborative’s first CovidSurg cancer paper, which looks at the safety of operating in COVID-19-free surgical pathways versus hospitals with no defined pathway, has been accepted by the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
The manuscript analysed the data of 9,171 cancer patients from 447 Hospitals in 55 countries, of whom 2,481 were operated on in COVID-19-free surgical pathways. The latter had lower rates of pulmonary complications and the postoperative SARS-CoV-2 infection rate was lower in COVID-19-free surgical pathways.
The paper states that major service redesign is justified and encourages the implementation of this strategy in appropriate clinical settings during current, and before future, SARS-CoV-2 outbreaks.
Gianluca Pellino is a colorectal surgeon from the Vall d'Hebron University Hospital in Barcelona (Spain) and member of the communications committee and guidelines committee for the European Society of Coloproctology (ESCP).
Speaking on behalf of the CovidSurg Collaborative, Gianluca said:
"We are thrilled to see our very first CovidSurg Cancer paper accepted by the renowned Journal of Clinical Oncology.
"The CovidSurg Collaborative fuels vital research and collaboration. We have quickly established an impressive global reach and I encourage everyone to join and contribute to our growth as we continue our efforts to learn more about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on cancer and surgical practices, which will no doubt influence our work."
The findings of the study were discussed by several CovidSurg collaborators during a live webinar:
The CovidSurg collaborative was developed as a response to the emerging effects of COVID-19 on surgical services.
CovidSurg represents collaboration on a global scale with the aim of producing evidence on COVID-19 management in a rapid but scientifically sound manner. The group has been working on several studies to inform hospital management and team planning which has been backed by surgical societies around the world, including ESCP.
The manuscript can be accessed for free here.
For regular CovidSurg updates, follow the Twitter page here and the webpage here.
