FROM CONFUSION TO CLARITY: A REGIONAL CANCER CENTER OF INDIA DOCUMENTS ITS JOURNEY IN THE MANAGEMENT OF HEAD-NECK MALIGNANCY DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

DR PURUSHOTTAM CHAVAN; DR RATHAN SHETTY; DR P KRISHNA PRASAD; DR DVN ARUNA; DR RAJSHEKAR HALKUD; DR SREELEKHA RAY; DR MD SHAFIUDDIN

Volume : IX, Issue : VIII, August - 2020

FROM CONFUSION TO CLARITY: A REGIONAL CANCER CENTER OF INDIA DOCUMENTS ITS JOURNEY IN THE MANAGEMENT OF HEAD-NECK MALIGNANCY DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

Dr Purushottam Chavan, Dr Rathan Shetty, Dr P Krishna Prasad, Dr Dvn Aruna, Dr Rajshekar Halkud, Dr Sreelekha Ray, Dr Md Shafiuddin

Abstract :

COVID19 global pandemic has effected 216 countries1 so far. In India the total number of cases has crossed 4 lakhs at the time of writing this paper2. Since the COVID–19 pandemic hit our country, the Government of India has called five successive lockdowns3 of varying intensity, from 25th March 2020 to 30th June2020 to contain the spread of infection. The lockdown resulted in social and logistic issues for the patients and health care workers. As a subspeciality, Head Neck Oncology presented unique challenges by the very nature of its disease. Head neck cancers have overlapping symptoms with COVID–19 and arise from sites of high viral load. Oioncosurgeons struggled to find a middle path between prevention of virus dissemination and treatsment of the malignancy. Within days of the first lockdown, FHNO, and later others, published management guidelines to define our path. The objective of this retrospective review is to document the challenges at a regional cancer center in south India in different phases of lockdown. We document our journey to overcome them and work towards normalcy, within the framework of prescribed COVID–19 guidelines, without compromising oncological principles, in the ever–changing scenario of this havoc–wreaking pandemic.