Managing cancer patients during the COVID-19 pandemic: An ESMO Interdisciplinary Expert Consensus
Published in 2020 – Ann Oncol (2020)
Authors: G. Curigliano, S. Banerjee, A. Cervantes, M. Garassino, P. Garrido, N. Girard, J. Haanen, K. Jordan, F. Lordick, J. P. Machiels, O. Michielin, S. Peters, J. Tabernero, J. Y. Douillard & G. Pentheroudakis
An international consortium was established to discuss clinical evidence and to provide expert advice on statements related to cancer management during the COVID-19 pandemic. The steering committee prepared ten working packages addressing significant clinical questions from diagnosis to surgery. During a virtual consensus meeting, including global experts and led by the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO), statements were discussed and voted upon. When consensus could not be reached, the panel revised statements in order to develop consensual clinical guidance. The expert panel agreed on 28 statements that can be used to overcome many of the clinical and technical areas of uncertainty ranging from diagnosis to therapeutic planning.