Changes in cancer prevention and management and patient needs during the COVID-19 pandemic: An umbrella review of systematic reviews release_tzonblw2cna4zoxfowwvoskbom

Abstract

INTRODUCTION The COVID-19 pandemic and the response measures that were adopted during the pandemic created major challenges and problems to cancer patients and to the structure and conduct of cancer care. Patients with several types of cancer were at increased risk of fatality after SARS-CoV-2 infection compared with the general non-cancer population. Concurrently, there were changes in health care that were induced by the advent of epidemic waves and by decisions to reduce some medical services in anticipation of and preparedness for COVID-19 impact. These changes were substantial and may have resulted in delays in cancer management, diagnosis, treatment and screening as well as hindrance of other preventive measures. Given the circumstances, it is possible that there was also a possible impact on diverse psychological, ethical, spiritual, and financial needs of cancer patients. The magnitude of the impact of COVID-19 and the measures taken on these frontiers of cancer care and patient needs has already been assessed by a very large number of studies and multiple systematic reviews (e.g. see references 1-21) have also tried to synthesize the evidence on these matters. It would be essential to put together these systematic reviews. Specifically one could assess the types of studies and rigor of the evidence of the systematically reviewed studies, the methodological rigor of the systematic reviews performed, and the main findings in terms of the magnitude of the impact and the uncertainty thereof. In order to achieve these goals, we are proposing to perform an umbrella review of systematic reviews.
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