Challenges for a Cancer Center in the Novel Coronavirus Pneumonia Epidemic

The novel Coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic is sweeping through China, posing the greatest ever threat to its public health and economy. As a tertiary cancer center in Southwest China, we formulated and implemented an anti-infection protocol to prevent the spread of Coronavirus disease 2019 in our department.

The anti-infection protocol divided patients into 3 categories, namely outpatients, inpatients, and patients receiving radiation therapy at our cancer center, and each category had a distinct anti-infection protocol to minimize the risk of Coronavirus disease 2019 transmission. In each category, the patients were classified into high-, intermediate-, and low-risk groups. Each risk group was managed differently. A survey of patient volume changes prior to and during the Coronavirus disease 2019 outbreak was performed.

We carried out the anti-infection protocol at our cancer center during the Coronavirus disease 2019 outbreak. We found that the total volume of both outpatient visits and inpatient treatment declined significantly depending on the conditions of each group. Radiation therapy and palliative service had the lowest and highest volume reductions at 58.3% and 100%, respectively. The decline in outpatient volumes was higher than the decline in inpatient treatment services (78.8% vs 71.8%). There was no Coronavirus disease 2019 cross-infection at our center, or Coronavirus disease 2019-related injury or death. The anti-infection protocol measures continue to be taken at the hospital even today but they have been modified depending on the prevalent local conditions.

Challenges from the Coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic remain in our community. The anti-infection protocol implemented at our cancer center has been effective in preventing cross-infection. Whether our anti-infection protocol experience can be applied to curb the spread of the infection in other parts of the world remains to be tested.