Cancer does not wait: safeguarding care for pediatric acute
lymphoblastic leukemia patients during the COVID-19 pandemic in a
Mexican hospital.
Abstract
Introduction: Safeguarding care of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL)
patients during the COVID-19 pandemic has posed a significant challenge
to health systems. We documented continuity (timeliness and compliance)
of curative treatment in pediatric ALL patients, and the incidence and
outcomes of patients infected with SARS-Cov2 in our institution.
Materials and methods: We included all ALL patients aged <16
years who received treatment in “Hospital Universitario Dr. José
Eleuterio Gonzalez” from March 2020 to June 2021. The causes of
non-compliance and the outcomes of patients with COVID-19 were reported.
Results: We analyzed 553 visits from 89 patients with ALL. Chemotherapy
administration was timely and compliant with our treatment protocol in
83% (n=459) of the records reviewed. Treatment continuity goals of
≥80% were achieved for all treatment phases, except for the
consolidation (66%) and intermediate maintenance phases (60%). The
main causes of treatment delays or treatment modifications included lack
of financial resources (2.5%), lack of inpatient beds (1.8%) and
chemotherapy stock-outs (1.3%), and the treatment abandonment rate was
3.3%. Twenty-two patients (24.7%) were diagnosed with COVID-19. Of
these, seven (32%) developed pneumonia, five (22.7%) required oxygen,
and two (9%) developed multisystem inflammatory syndrome. For patients
with COVID-19, the median length of stay was 9.5 days, and the 30-day
mortality rate was 4.5%. Discussion: The continuity of curative
treatment for ALL in the context of COVID-19 was >80% in
our hospital. Adapting diagnosis and treatment protocols and
implementing strategies to minimize the risk of infection were
fundamental to safeguarding continuity care for cancer patients.