COVID-19

From delayed diagnoses, to the emergence of telemedicine, to managing the increased emotional burden experienced by patients and healthcare professionals alike, the community has been forced to approach cancer care in ways they never had before in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Lewis Au, MBBS, BMedSci, FRACP, discusses the impact that COVID-19 has had and will continue to have on cancer care.

The COVID-19 pandemic created new patient care challenges in oncology, such as how to reduce risks of virus exposure for patients who may be immunocompromised and switching from in-person visits to telemedicine.

Carlos del Rio, MD, discusses the reactogenicity of the COVID-19 vaccines.

Andrew Ip, MD, MS, discusses remaining questions with the COVID-19 vaccine in patients with cancer.

Despite many diversity initiative over the past 10 years, a lack of meaningful representation of certain racial and ethnic minorities continues in the oncology workforce.

The majority of respondents in a survey study indicated that the COVID-19 pandemic made no difference in their decision to participate in an oncology clinical trial; however, the remaining respondents were more than 7 times more likely to indicate that the pandemic made them less likely to enroll in a clinical trial

Anjana Pillai, MD, discusses recent advances made in the HCC treatment paradigm, as well as what the conference will offer to healthcare providers working in the field.

The coronavirus 2019 pandemic caused a 60% drop in the initiation of new clinical trials for anticancer therapies compared with prior years.

Although cancer screening rates and ensuing diagnoses dropped significantly during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, testing rates from June 2020 through September 2020 have nearly returned to pre-pandemic levels.

When the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic started upending health care services throughout the United States a year ago, the oncology community moved quickly to develop guidance on selecting therapies and setting treatment schedules for many cancers to allow for less frequent in-patient visits to clinics and infusion centers.

Lewis Au, MBBS, BMedSci, FRACP, discusses the rationale to evaluate antiviral immunity from COVID-19 among patients with cancer.

FDA approval of vaccines to prevent coronavirus disease 2019 is giving new focus to technologies with the potential to treat patients with cancer.

One year into the COVID-19 pandemic has allowed for some reflection on the different evolutions that the oncology community went through in response to the many challenges posed by the virus.

Maintenance treatment with lenalidomide was found to be a safe treatment for patients with multiple myeloma who are diagnosed with COVID-19, supporting use of the immunomodulatory drug in this patient population.

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected the ability of oncology sales forces to access physicians and advanced practice providers, with fewer face-to-face meetings and fewer interactions overall.

R. Gregory Bociek, MD, discusses outcomes for patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia and COVID-19.

Arutha Kulasinghe, PhD, discusses identifying COVID-19–associated gene signatures through spatial transcriptomics.

Anita Lavery, MD, MRCP, discusses the current state of cancer care during the COVID-19 pandemic in Ireland.

Andrew Ip, MD, MS, discusses the challenges of treating patients with hematologic malignancies and COVID-19.

Carlos del Rio, MD, discusses factors to consider when selecting between available vaccines for COVID-19.

Marina Garassino, MD, discusses the distribution of the coronavirus disease 2019 vaccine to patients with cancer in Italy.

February 18, 2021 - One hundred and thirty organizations, cancer centers, and other institutions sent a letter to President Joe Biden and his administration, as well as other leading public health officials at state health departments to underscore the need to provide patients with cancer and survivors of cancer with priority access to a coronavirus disease 2019 vaccine.

Arutha Kulasinghe, PhD, discusses cancer care during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic in Australia.

Rogerio C. Lilenbaum, MD, discusses the challenges of integrating telehealth services in lung cancer.

February 5, 2021 - Significant heterogeneity was identified in risk of coronavirus disease 2019–related death in patients based on factors such as cancer subtype, age, sex, and in-patient proportion.

February 5, 2021 - Following stem cell transplant or treatment with CAR T-cell therapies, patients with hematologic malignancies and coronavirus disease 2019 tend to have favorable outcomes, especially if they are diagnosed in complete remission and further out from their cell infusion.

February 4, 2021 - Despite the threat the coronavirus disease 2019 presents, it’s necessary that patients with cancer continue to receive care at outpatient facilities—a feat that has been made possible at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center through multidisciplinary efforts, innovative strategy, and technologic advances.

February 4, 2021 - In response to the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, investigators have turned to tried-and-true cancer drugs to see whether they can be used to combat the virus.

February 3, 2021 - The Drive-By Flu-Fecal Immunochemical Test program not only provides safe and socially distanced colorectal cancer screening opportunities during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, but also may help to address screening declines in diverse communities.