We established an international consortium to review and discuss relevant clinical evidence in order to develop expert consensus statements related to cancer management during the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2-related disease (COVID-19) pandemic. The steering committee prepared 10 working packages addressing significant clinical questions from diagnosis to surgery. During a virtual consensus meeting of 62 global experts and one patient advocate, led by the European Society for Medical Oncology, statements were discussed, amended and voted upon. When consensus could not be reached, the panel revised statements until a consensus was reached. Overall, the expert panel agreed on 28 consensus statements that can be used to overcome many of the clinical and technical areas of uncertainty ranging from diagnosis to therapeutic planning and treatment during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Objective Understanding mild to moderate symptoms of coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) is important in order to identify active cases early and thus counteract transmission. Methods In March 2020, Leipzig University Hospital established an outpatient clinic for patients potentially infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Confirmed cases with mild to moderate symptoms self-isolated at home and were followed-up by daily telephone calls for at least 14 days. Symptoms and course of illness of these patients are reported here. Results From March 20 to April 17, 2020, 1460 individuals were tested for SARS-CoV-2 by naso- or oropharyngeal swab for real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Covid-19 was confirmed in 91 (6.2%) patients, of which 87 were included in the final analysis. Patients presented for testing after a mean of 5.9 days (IQR = 2.0–8.5). The median age was 37.0 years (IQR = 28.5–53), and 48 (55.2%) were female. Five (5.7%) patients required hospital admission during the course of illness. Most frequently reported symptoms were fatigue (n = 64, 74%), cough (n = 58, 67%), and hyposmia/hypogeusia (n = 44, 51%). In contrast to previous reports, fever occurred in less than a third of patients (n = 25, 29%). By day 14, more than half of the patients had recovered completely (n = 37/70, 52.9%). Conclusions Fever seems to be less common in patients of relatively young age diagnosed with mild to moderate Covid-19. This suggests that body temperature alone may be an insufficient indicator of SARS-CoV-2 infection.

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The incidence of gastrointestinal (GI) cancer is increasing, with approximately 2 million new cases diagnosed worldwide and about 1.2 million patients dying per year. In Europe, about 500 ,000 people per year are newly diagnosed with GI cancer. The most frequent cancer types that undergo chemotherapy include cancer of the oesophagus, stomach, pancreas, biliary tract and colorectum. In the last years, various new agents and combinations have been demonstrated to improve the prognosis of patients with GI cancer. However, with the introduction of new and more effective systemic treatments, the need for supportive treatment has become more complex. There has been significant improvement in the management of nausea and vomiting arising from highly and moderately emetogenic chemotherapy. Nevertheless, vomiting and especially nausea continue to be two of the most distressing side effects of antineoplastic treatment. For the prevention of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting in highly emetogenic therapy, a triple therapy including a 5-HT3-receptor antagonist (RA), dexamethasone and an NK1-RA, aprepitant or fosaprepitant are recommended. In moderately emetogenic regimens, updated guidelines recommend the combination of the second-generation 5-HT3-RA palonosetron with dexamethasone, providing improved protection against acute nausea and vomiting, and demonstrating superior prevention in the delayed phase. This review provides an update of the revised clinical guidelines for antiemetic treatment and prophylaxis in GI cancer patients receiving chemotherapy.