The Impact of Covid-19 Pandemic in Children With Cancer: A Report From Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Background: On January 2020, the WHO declared the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) outbreak as a public health emergency of international concern. Due to rapid spread 2019-nCoV, all countries started preventive and precautionary measures to prevent COVID-19 infection spread. These measures limited the population mobility and services provided, which subsequently Impact of on children with cancer and cancer care delivery in the many health centers in Saudi Arabia. Procedure: We did a cross sectional study to assess the impact on this outbreak on children with cancer with regard to all aspects of life including medical services provided, the specific precautions to prevent spread in cancer patients, mental, psychological effect and its affection on quality of life. Results: We collected 204 responses during a survey which assessed the impact on the treatment of cancer children at a tertiary institution during the COVID-19 pandemic. The majority of patients were receiving ongoing chemotherapy for leukemia/lymphoma. The majority of these patients (60.5%) reported a delay in treatment received due to hospital cancellation. Although, the majority of patients in our cohort complained of delayed treatment, fortunately none of the delays led to fatalities. In the context of global lockdowns and physical distancing to help flatten the COVID-19 curve, telemedicine has proved fundamental to keeping patients and their healthcare providers connected and safe. Children also faced multiple other difficulties such as psychosocial issues during the COVID-19 pandemic. Conclusion: Our long-term goals are to develop new programs which will enable children with cancer to emerge successfully during a pandemic.

Impact of COVID‐19 in pediatric oncology care in Latin America during the first year of the pandemic

“…Worldwide, the need to adapt to an uncertain future led to rationing of treatment delivery by suspensions of most pediatric cancer services 13,16–18 . A recent global study reported that 55.8% of children with cancer had modifications in their cancer‐directed therapies during the pandemic.…”

Caregiver's perspective on psychosocial issues of paediatric cancer patients during COVID 19 pandemic lockdown

“…Similarly, the study revealed that patients with psychological symptoms experienced significant distress. Studies have reported that paediatric patients and youth experience psychosocial issues due to pandemic, impacting their mental health resulting in frequent referrals to psychologist 3,10 …”

“…Caregivers experienced anxiety related to children contracting COVID‐19 and hospitals were no longer felt to be a safer place 2 . TheCOVID‐19 pandemic has caused greater impact on the mental health of paediatric patients, requiring professional mental health support 3,4 . Although studies are being published around the pandemic situation in oncology with reference to psychosocial concerns, across different countries, there is scarce resources on psychosocial impact of COVID‐19 pandemic in low‐middle income countries, especially from India.…”