INTRODUCTION
The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which caused the pandemic of COVID-19 (Coronavirus disease-2019), started in December 2019 in Wuhan city, China, affecting the whole world, causing the death of thousands of people (1). This pandemic was recognized by the World Health Organization on January 30, 2020 (2). The first identified COVID-19 case of the worldwide COVID-19 outbreak in Turkey was announced by the Ministry of Health on March 11, 2020. As of 18th December 2020, the World Health Organization reported 73 275 943 confirmed cases, with 1 650 348 deaths from SARS-CoV-2 related disease (coronavirus disease 2019 [COVID-19]). Of them, 1 955 680 cases and 17 364 deaths have been described in Turkey.
The virus is transmitted to people through airborne droplets by contact with an infected person or contaminated surface (3). The main clinical symptoms of the disease are fever, dry cough, fatigue, muscle pain, and dyspnea. In severe cases, this virus causes deadly pneumonias leading to acute respiratory failure syndrome (4). Elderly people and patients with comorbidity are more likely to become infected. In addition, serious complications such as acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) are observed more frequently in these individuals (5). Cancer is a chronic disease and cancer patients have lower immune systems than other normal people because of both cancer and the immunosuppressive drugs they take, which makes them more susceptible to infections (6). Accordingly, we can say that cancer patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 corona virus are more risky than other populations. In this context, cancer care was immediately established as a heath priority by the National Medical Council and the Ministry of Health.
In one study, the disease was more severe in cancer patients than in non-cancer patients (7). In another study by Mengyuan Dai et al., compared to COVID-19 patients with and without cancer, the mortality risk is 2.3 times, the need for intensive care units is 2.8 times and the risk of developing at least one serious or critical symptom is 2.8 times were found higher in cancer patients. However, utilization of invasive mechanical ventilation was determined higher in patients with cancer (8).
There has been no proven treatment or vaccine against Coronavirus pandemic. However, it is known that strong infection control measures should be taken as the primary intervention to prevent the spread of the disease (9). As in other countries fighting pandemics, strict measures are being taken in Turkey. The first of these is to inform the community with television, newspapers, social media or health care workers. Measures taken in Turkey include suspension of public transport, closure of public spaces such as shopping malls, close management of communities, isolation of infected or suspicious cases. It is very important that cancer patients, along with people in the community, comply with the control measures against COVID-19 and this situation is affected by the knowledge, attitudes and behaviors of COVID-19.
The ESMO guidelines regarding the management of cancer patients during the COVID-19 outbreak, priority should be given to adjuvant therapies in patients with resected high-risk disease, which is expected to achieve a significant absolute survival benefit. Similarly, the benefits and risks of palliative treatments during pandemic should be discussed. “Treatment holidays”, “Stop and Go”, maintenance and transition to oral medications, if available, should be considered.
Cancer patients who often have to come to the hospital in this process are at increased risk of transmission. At the same time, their mortality and morbidity increase due to the impact of their immunity in relation to the treatments they receive. Due to these risks, it is very important that cancer patients survive this period with minimal damage. In order to comply with the pandemic measures of patients and also to increase compliance with cancer treatment, it is necessary to properly implement the measures and to be properly informed by the primary physicians of the patients about the risks associated with cancer treatment. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the level of knowledge, attitudes and practices about COVID-19 cancer patients who were followed in our clinic during this period when the COVID-19 outbreak was rising rapidly in our country. At the same time, this study will allow our patients to be reininformed and corrected about incomplete or misobtained information.