COVID-19 pandemic: implications on the surgical treatment of gastrointestinal and hepatopancreatobiliary tumours in Europe
COVID-19 pandemic: implications on the surgical treatment of gastrointestinal and hepatopancreatobiliary tumours in Europe Editor In the context of the ongoing COVID19 pandemic, the field of surgical oncology demands careful crisis management considering the overall importance of timely treatment1,2. Based on an online survey (Google Forms; Google LLC, Mountain View, California, USA) conducted among university-affiliated surgical departments throughout Europe, we offer a multicentre perspective on the instantaneous performance of gastrointestinal (GI) and hepatopancreatobiliary (HPB) tumour surgery. Ninety-five surgeons from 79 surgical departments in 20 European countries completed the survey. The survey revealed an alarming status quo. Some 59 per cent of participants stated that the COVID-19 pandemic is having a strong or very strong impact on ongoing treatment of their patients (Fig. 1a). A decrease in patient referral since onset of the viral outbreak was observed by 90 per cent of respondents. Twentynine per cent reported a decrease of more than 60 per cent compared to the pre-pandemic standard (Fig. 1b). In addition to a re-evaluation of hospital capacities, the excessive workload of general practitioners, the role of the media and general recommendations to avoid person-to-person contact, including medical appointments, have to be reconsidered3. It can be assumed that telemedical options are not offered sufficiently (only 12 per cent of respondents reported telemedical options for all outpatient appointments)4. Moreover, almost one-third reported that Fig 1 Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic