Cancer Surgery Experience in a Tertiary Pandemic Hospital During the COVID-19 Pandemic

INTRODUCTION: One of the major challenges that the healthcare system was facing during the pandemic was how to manage patients requiring specific treatment, such as cancer surgery while managing the treatment of patients with COVID-19. Especially in pandemic hospitals, arrangements were made for the follow-up and treatment of other non COVID-19 patients in order to prevent transmission within the hospital. The aim of the study was to evaluate patients undergoing cancer surgery during the pandemic in the General Surgery Department of our hospital, which serves as a pandemic hospital.
METHODS: Cancer surgeries performed under emergency and elective conditions in the General Surgery Department of a tertiary pandemic hospital between March 11th, 2020, and July 31st, 2020, were retrospectively evaluated.
RESULTS: A total of 46 patients were included in the study. Two patients who underwent cancer surgery died of non-COVID-19 causes. No findings suggestive of COVID-19 were found in any patients in the preoperative or postoperative periods. During this period, no contamination was detected in the operating room team or in the healthcare personnel who followed the patients in the ward.
DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: In a hospital that has been declared as a pandemic hospital and the majority of its capacity has been reserved for the follow-up and treatment of patients with COVID-19, isolated areas can be created and special surgeries such as cancer surgery can be successfully performed in addition to emergency surgeries.