COVID-19 and Gynecological Cancers: A Summary of International Recommendations

Abstract

Morocco and the rest of the world are experiencing a pandemic of a new coronavirus known as COVID-19 or SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2). On August 24, 2020, the spread of the virus in Morocco had caused more than 52,000 cases and 880 deaths. Cancer patients are more susceptible to develop an infection than people without cancer because of their immunosuppression caused by the disease and treatments (surgery and chemotherapy). Therefore, these patients are at higher risk of infection with COVID-19 and a much higher risk of developing more serious forms. Given this epidemiological context, the establishment of guidelines for patients with gynecological cancers, requiring multidisciplinary management during the global COVID-19 pandemic, is crucial to limit their infection while maintaining their chances for a cure. In this paper, we summarize the international COVID-19 recommendations on the prioritization of surgical cases, the perioperative protective measures, the precautions to be taken in the brachytherapy unit, the COVID-19 screening, and finally the therapeutic indications of gynecological cancers by tumor location.