Commentary: Should all cancer patients be tested for COVID-19 before each chemotherapy cycle?

Abstract

Cancer patients under active chemotherapy are more vulnerable to coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19). There are still some controversies regarding routine polymerase chain reaction testing of asymptomatic cancer patients before chemotherapy cycles. Despite a lack of data, Al-Shamsi et al. showed higher COVID-19 positivity rate among asymptomatic cancer patients. Furthermore, mortality rate was higher in this group of patients. There is no high evidence-based recommendation from the cancer societies for testing asymptomatic patients before each chemotherapy cycle. In this commentary, we assessed the current publications and guidelines regarding this issue.