SIOG COVID-19 WORKING GROUP

Co-Chairs SIOG COVID-19 WORKING GROUP

Members

Anna Mislang (Australia) Nicolò Matteo Luca Battisti (UK)

COVID-19 COMMUNICATIONS

OCTOBER 2020: Dr Anna Mislang spoke to ecancer about the SIOG COVID-19 working group’s report and discussion of ethical issues revolving around the treatment of cancer patients during the COVID-19 pandemic.

JULY 2020: Dr Anna Mislang spoke for ESMO covering the implications of the COVID-19 pandemic on the management of cancer in older adults.

JULY 2020:

"Management of senior patients with cancer during the COVID pandemic” an ESMO OncologyPRO Working Group. Discussion delivered by Nicolò Matteo Luca Battisti. Riccardo Audisio (Sweden) Mahmood Alam (Australia) Etienne Brain (France) Clarito Cairo Jr (Philippines) Kwok Leung Cheung (UK) Giuseppe Colloca (Italy) Lisa Cooper (USA) Luiz Antonio Gil Jr (Brazil) Regina Gironés Sarrió (Spain) Michael Jaklitsch (USA) Kumud Kantilal (UK) Stuart Lichtman (USA) Anita O'Donovan (Ireland) Shane O'Hanlon (Ireland) Chiara Russo (France) Schroder Sattar (Canada) Enrique Soto (Mexico) Reinhard Stauder (Austria) Hans Wildiers (Belgium) Grant Williams (USA)

A GLOBAL RECOMMENDATION

Adapting care for older cancer patients during the COVID-19 pandemic: Recommendations from the International Society of Geriatric Oncology (SIOG) COVID-19 Working Group Nicolò Matteo Luca Battisti, Anna Rachelle Mislang, Lisa Cooper, Anita O'Donovan, Riccardo A Audisio, Kwok-Leung Cheung, Regina Gironés Sarrió, Reinhard Stauder, Enrique Soto-Perez-de-Celis, Michael Jaklitsch, Grant R Williams, Shane O'Hanlon, Mahmood Alam, Clarito Cairo, Giuseppe Colloca, Luiz Antonio Gil Jr, Schroder Sattar, Kumud Kantilal, Chiara Russo, Stuart M Lichtman , Etienne Brain, Ravindran Kanesvaran, Hans Wildiers. J Geriatr Oncol. 2020 Nov;11(8):1190-1198. doi: 10.1016/j.jgo.2020.07.008. Epub 2020 Jul 16.

328

In Ocotober 2020, SIOG welcomed a total of 328 participants in the policy discussions of the SIOG COVID 19 Working Group. The ouburst of the COVID-19 pandemic posed a barrier to equal and evidence-based management of cancer in older adults. SIOG formed a panel of experts to develop consensus recommendations on the implications of the pandemic on several aspects of cancer care in this age group including geriatric assessment (GA), surgery, radiotherapy, systemic treatment, palliative care and research.

Age and cancer diagnosis are significant predictors of adverse outcomes of the COVID-19 infection. Ongoing research is necessary to expand knowledge of the management of cancer in older adults. However, the pandemic presents a significant barrier. All efforts should be made to ensure equitable access to clinical trials and prospective data collection to elucidate the outcomes of COVID-19 in this population.

62

SIOG received interest from 62 different countries to consult the recommendations of the SIOG COVID-19 Working Group Policy Meeting and publication.