Opinion Review
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2021. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Clin Cases. Jun 26, 2021; 9(18): 4460-4466
Published online Jun 26, 2021. doi: 10.12998/wjcc.v9.i18.4460
Surgery for pancreatic tumors in the midst of COVID-19 pandemic
Hiroyuki Kato, Yukio Asano, Satoshi Arakawa, Masahiro Ito, Norihiko Kawabe, Masahiro Shimura, Chihiro Hayashi, Takayuki Ochi, Hironobu Yasuoka, Takahiko Higashiguchi, Yuka Kondo, Hidetoshi Nagata, Akihiko Horiguchi
Hiroyuki Kato, Yukio Asano, Satoshi Arakawa, Masahiro Ito, Norihiko Kawabe, Masahiro Shimura, Chihiro Hayashi, Takayuki Ochi, Hironobu Yasuoka, Takahiko Higashiguchi, Yuka Kondo, Hidetoshi Nagata, Akihiko Horiguchi, Department of Gastroenterological Surgery, Fujita Health University School of Medicine Bantane Hospital, Nagoya 454-8509, Japan
Author contributions: Kato H took the lead in writing the manuscript; Asano Y, Arakawa S, Ito M, Kawabe N, Shimura M, Hayashi C, Ochi T, Yasuoka H, and Yasuoka T provided critical feedback and helped shape the research, analysis, and manuscript; Nagata H and Kondo Y designed the framework of the manuscript; Horiguchi A revised the article critically for important intellectual content; all authors gave final approval of the version to be published.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All authors do not have any conflict of interest.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Hiroyuki Kato, MD, Lecturer, Department of Gastroenterological Surgery, Fujita Health University School of Medicine Bantane Hospital, 3-6-10 Otobashi Nakagawaku, Nagoya 454-8509, Japan. katohiroyuki510719@gmail.com
Received: February 2, 2021
Peer-review started: February 2, 2021
First decision: March 6, 2021
Revised: March 28, 2021
Accepted: May 20, 2021
Article in press: May 20, 2021
Published online: June 26, 2021
Processing time: 129 Days and 7.9 Hours
Abstract

The spread of the new coronavirus (COVID-19) infection in 2020 has had a significant impact on the treatment of cancer worldwide. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the biggest challenge for pancreatic surgeons is the difficulty in providing oncological care. In this review article, from the standpoint of surgeons, we explain the concept of triaging of patients with pancreatic tumors under the COVID-19 pandemic, and the actual impact of COVID-19 on the treatment of patients with pancreatic tumors. The most vital points in selecting the best therapeutic approach for patients with pancreatic tumors during this pandemic are (1) Oncologists need to tailor the treatment plan based on the COVID-19 phase, tumor malignant potential, and patients’ comorbidities; and (2) Optimal treatment for pancreatic cancer should be planned according to the condition of each patient and tumor resectability based on national comprehensive cancer network resectability criteria. To choose the best therapeutic approach for patients with pancreatic tumors during this pandemic, we need to tailor the treatment plan based on elective surgery acuity scale (ESAS). Newly established ESAS for pancreatic tumor and flowchart indicating the treatment strategy of pancreatic cancer, are feasible to overcome this situation.

Keywords: COVID-19; Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma; Surgical treatment; Pancreatic tumor; Pandemic; National comprehensive cancer network resectability criteria

Core Tip: In this review article, we focused on the concept of triaging patients with pancreatic tumors under the new coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, and the actual impact of COVID-19 on the treatment of patients with pancreatic tumors. To select the best therapeutic strategy for patients with pancreatic tumors during this pandemic, we need to tailor the treatment plan based on elective surgery acuity scale (ESAS). Moreover, newly established ESAS for pancreatic tumor and flowchart indicating the treatment strategy of pancreatic cancer, are feasible to overcome this situation.