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To protect cancer patients from COVID-19exposure, prioritization strategies are being implemented at global level Measures include use of tele-health services, deferring elective surgeries, delaying non life-saving therapies, interrupting maintenance and supportive care regimens and suspending screening and regular follow-up visits Nonetheless, the risk of infection may not always outweigh oncology treatment benefit Lives of most oncology patients depend on their ability to receive medical, surgical and radiotherapy care Postponing screening, follow-up and radical surgeriesincreasepatients’riskofdevelopingmetastaticdisease Aviral pandemic lasts long time andexhibits seasonal and geographical variations Though vaccines will be available only in the 2021, a global, aggressive, all-embracing and protracted slowdown of oncologic activities will severely jeopardize patients’ outcomes A present international oncologists’ panel, ECPC and FAVO, strongly suggest that Hospital measures in a specific geographical area/Nation should be in line with the local epidemic, and restrictions adopted should be adapted and stratified over time
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