Mariana Rebordao Pires*, Adriana Pestana-Santos, Claudia Amorim Costa, Ana Carlota Caetano, Joana C. Monteiro, Maria Joao Sousa, Tatiana Cunha Pereira, Antonio Pego and Gabriela Sousa
Purpose: Significant changes in treatment centers were implemented during COVID-19 pandemics. Understanding how these alterations impacted cancer patients is a subject that needs to be investigated.
Methods: Patients who accepted to fill a hand paper questionnaire were included in this cross-sectional study. The questionnaire was distributed between March 19 and April 30, 2020 (first emergency state in Portugal) at the Portuguese Oncology Institute of Coimbra Francisco Gentil.
Results: A total of 100 patients participated in the study, of whom 66% were female. The median age was 61 years old. Patients presented low education levels (65% with 9 or less years of schooling), lived together (83%) and were undergoing palliate treatments (59%). The most significant reported change in health care was inability of having an accompanying person in medical appointments (64%). Association with the level of education, household, type of solid cancer or therapeutic purpose was not verified (Creamer-V-indicator <0.4). The major concerns reported were being infected by SARS-Cov-2 due to an immunosuppressed state (65%) and the security of self/family/friends (53%). Patients with lower education were more worried about developing COVID-19 (p=0.001) and of having limited access to medical care (p=0.047). Patients in a curative therapeutic approach were more concerned about employment situation (p=0.031) and had higher anxiety levels (p=0.047).
Conclusion: COVID-19 pandemic is having a great impact in patients with cancer, namely in those who have a lower education level, live alone or those who therapeutic approach is curative. The implementation of measures to manage the psychologic impact of COVID-19 is urgent.
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