For these reasons, new approaches are needed such as the telemedicine tool. Moreover, in some regions in Italy even the very first non-urgent visits have been postponed with the consequent delay in diagnosis, which may negatively affect disease prognosis. Furthermore, many patients refuse hospital visits, even if necessary, because of fear of contagion. As a consequence, it has been recommended that, when possible, the follow-up visits for cancer patients treated with oral anticancer drugs could be performed telematically. Different solutions can be adopted for reducing travels to cancer screening centers and the overall impact of cancer screening visits. Therefore, cancer patients have been greatly affected by this health emergency and, due to their vulnerability to COVID-19, oncologic patient visits have been often delayed or canceled leading to possible under-treatment. The fragility of cancer patients is well-known, with many cases affecting aged patients or those with several comorbidities that frequently result in a loss of independency and functionality.
Italy and worldwide are experiencing an outbreak of a new coronavirus-related disease, named COVID-19, declared by the WHO COVID-19 a pandemic.
Anna Crispo 1*, Concetta Montagnese 1, Francesco Perri 2, Maria Grimaldi 1, Sabrina Bimonte 3, Livia Silvia Augustin 1, Alfonso Amore 4, Egidio Celentano 1, Marilena Di Napoli 4, Marco Cascella 3 and Sandro Pignata 4
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