Strategies for cancer-care resilience during the new COVID-19 wave in China

Ce dossier présente un ensemble d'articles concernant la prise en charge des cancers durant la crise sanitaire liée à la COVID-19

Résumé en anglais

According to data from the Chinese National Cancer Center, there were 4·57 million cases of cancer in China in 2022, accounting for 23·7% of cancer cases worldwide.1 In late 2022, the new COVID-19 wave caused by the omicron variant brought serious concern to the health care of patients with haematological malignancies and solid cancers.2 Due to an increased number of cases of COVID-19 and a shortage of medical supplies, beds, and medical workers in hospitals, all aspects of cancer care were negatively affected, including cancer screening, surgery, diagnosis, treatment, routine visits, palliative care, and clinical trials. Increased waiting time for diagnosis and treatment correlated to a more advanced stage of disease and led to increased mortality and reduced survival among patients with cancer. Clinical trials were also affected regarding patient willingness and ability to participate. As a result, patients did not receive novel anticancer agents. Patients with active cancer are more susceptible to COVID-19 and the development of severe disease because of the immunosuppressive effects of the underlying cancer and cancer-related therapies.3 To strengthen the health-care system and maintain sustained cancer care during this challenging time, adaptive consensus strategies were introduced by Chinese medical experts according to national conditions, magnitude of benefit of the prioritisation of treatments, optimal allocation of medical resources, and availability of other resources (...)