Applying Lessons Learned From Low-Resource Settings to Prioritize Cancer Care in a Pandemic

Early assessment of the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic on cancer screening services: The International Cancer Screening Network COVID-19 survey

“…For example, the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction ( The United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, 2015 ) offers strategies to ensure the resilience of the health system and adequate resource allocation in preparation for scenarios like the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, so that essential health services are not interrupted. In addition, there are opportunities for settings with diverse levels of resources, based in HICs or LMICs, to learn from each other, as optimization of resources and use of resource-stratified strategies (i.e., based on the resources available for a specific setting) become important elements for restarting services while ensuring quality and effectiveness of cancer screening ( DeBoer, Fadelu, Shulman, and Van Loon, 2020 ).…”

“…Previous experiences with major disruptions, such as armed conflicts or the Ebola outbreak in 2014, have demonstrated that important health gains could be lost in a short period of time ( Delamou et al, 2017 ; El Saghir, Soto Pérez de Celis, and Fares, 2018 ; Kieny, Evans, Schmets, and Kadandale, 2014 ). Both high-income countries (HICs) and low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) are susceptible to these disruptions and losses, and the negative effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on availability of resources for cancer control and research, as they are diverted to the emergency response, may exacerbate these common challenges ( DeBoer, Fadelu, Shulman, and Van Loon, 2020 ). For example, concerns have been expressed about the disruption of programs on HPV vaccination and cervical cancer screening, which have made great strides in the last decade ( Arbyn, Bruni, Kelly, et al, 2020 ; Rahman, Gultekin, and Lassi, 2020 ).…”

Interruption of cancer screening services due to COVID-19 pandemic: lessons from previous disasters

“…Finally, as high- and low-resource settings face the common challenge of COVID-19, there are important lessons to be learned from one another, such as optimization of resources for restarting services while ensuring quality and effectiveness of cancer screening 29 . El Saghir et al (2018) recommended the application of resource-stratified guidelines to ensure basic health care delivery for refugees and in other disaster scenarios.…”

“…This follows the principle of doing the best with the resources available, which is in line with more recent recommendations from the American Society of Clinical Oncology regarding allocation of resources during the COVID-19 pandemic 30 . In addition, inequalities in cancer screening within and across settings should be monitored as underserved populations become more vulnerable due to health and socio-economic consequences of COVID-19 29 .…”

COVID‐19 and cancer care: What have we learned?

“…In a JAMA Oncology article about prioritizing cancer cures during the pandemic, Dr. DeBoer cautions that “conflicting principles will often arise among stakeholders and decision makers” and that “fair decision‐making procedures should be established to ensure moral legitimacy and accountability.” 2 Although resource constraints may vary considerably over time and by location as the COVID‐19 pandemic evolves, Dr. DeBoer nevertheless says, “I think that it's important to have a plan for how you're going to talk to patients about those things, and have consistent messaging.”…”