[A Practical Approach to the Management of Patients with Gastrointestinal Cancer during the Novel Coronavirus Disease 2019(COVID-19)Pandemic-What Can Medical Oncologists Do?]

The SARS-CoV-2 was first identified in December 2019 in Wuhan, China. Since then, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has drastically changed the healthcare system, including cancer treatments worldwide. Since March 2020 in Japan, cancer patients faced a crisis; they suffered from delays or restrictions in cancer treatment during the initial outbreak. At present, we can perform cancer treatment as usual. Most of the treatments depend on continuous infection control by cancer patients and their families. However, the need to recognize cancer treatment management during the COVID-19 pandemic is crucial. Cancer treatment practice, purpose, risk factors, and the evidence during clinical trials should be comprehensively evaluated and adapted for each patient. Moreover, there is a need to discuss care planning between healthcare professionals, patients, and their families in advance. The COVID-19 vaccine could be essential for cancer patients. In this article, we review cancer treatment points for implementing whole-person care, including advanced care planning for patients with gastrointestinal malignancies, during the COVID-19 pandemic.