COVID-19 infection is caused by the novel coronavirus, named severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), that was first reported in Hubei, Wuhan province of China, in December 2019.[
According to National Institute of Cancer of Brazil (INCA), 685,960 new cases of cancer are expected in 2020.[
These outbreaks pose a greater threat to patients with cancer in terms of morbidity and mortality, as well as for the healthcare system professionals. To expose a cancer patient to a multimodal treatment or surgery, specifically, may be a potential threat under the circumstances of COVID-19 epidemic, therefore recommendations are necessary regarding who could wait. But another potentially harmful situation is the postponement of surgery in cancer patients, not only for common sense, but otherwise due to temporary adaptations in cancer hospitals logistics upon the shortage of intensive care unit (ICU) beds and resources.
Numerous organizations (SSO, NCCN, ESSO, and ASCO) are publishing guidelines and recommendations for the best treatment of this population in order to reduce the exposure of the patient and the assistant team without compromising the cancer prognosis.
The purpose of this editorial/letter is to provide specialist based recommendations for the treatment of hepatobiliary tumors during the pandemic period. We understand that it is a very heterogeneous group of tumors and patients, so each case must be individualized with the multidisciplinary team.
The mean tumor volume doubling time (TVDT) for metastases vary 86-155 days.[
Surgery is the best treatment for colorectal liver metastases.[
Radiofrequency (RFA) and microwave ablation are superior than chemotherapy alone for CRLM treatment.[
RFA show a significantly lower rate of complications and length of hospital than surgery.[
There is no difference between disease-free survival in patients undergoing neoadjuvant chemotherapy and those who undergoing upfront surgery for resectable CRLM. Upfront surgery should not be proposed to patients at high risk of postoperative complications or those requiring complex hepatectomies.[
The median TVDT for HCC in patients with chronic liver disease is 85.7 days (11-851.2 days).[
There was no difference in overall survival, treatment-related complication or recurrence-free survival at 3 years between RFA or surgical resection for HCC Barcelona-clinic liver cancer (BCLC) A.[
Transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) is commonly used as a bridging therapy prior to liver transplantation (LT).[
The median TVDT for iCCA is 70 days (14.5-512.9 days).[
High-powered microwave ablation (MWSA) seems to be a good option for treatment in small iCCA nodules (up to 4cm), even better than RFA.[
Surgery is the best treatment for resectable hilar cholangiocarcinoma.[
Percutaneous biliary drainage in selected patients are recommended to reduce the risk of operative complications.[
Portal vein embolization (PVE) should be considered preoperatively for patients in whom the functional liver remnant (FLR) is estimated to be less than 20-30% of the total liver volume after major liver resection.[
Brazilian law does not allow transplantation LT for hCCA.
It's a very aggressive tumor and the only chance for a complete cure is by surgical resection; however, at initial presentation, only 10% of patients are candidates for surgery with a curative intent.[
We consider the COVID mass testing of patient with cancer important, but this amount of testing is not yet available in Brazil.
The health system of each region should try to create “COVID free pathways” at the 3 levels of assistance - basic, secondary, and tertiary.[
We believe all cases should be discussed in the multidisciplinary team based manner, and the team should consider the information provided by the infection control commission. No surgery should be postponed in the presence of sufficient resources (ICU beds, staff…).
It is important to stratify the patient according to their surgical gravity.[
Priority level 1A: Emergency - operation needed within 24 hours to save life.
Priority level 1B: Urgent - operation needed with 72 hours. Based on:
Urgent/emergency surgery for life threatening conditions such as obstruction, bleeding and regional and/or localised infection permanent injury/clinical harm from progression of conditions such as spinal cord compression.
Priority level 2: Elective surgery with the expectation of cure, prioritised according to:
within 4 weeks to save life/progression of disease beyond operability based on;urgency of symptoms;
complications such as local compressive symptoms;
biological priority (expected growth rate) of individual cancers.
Local complications may be temporarily controlled, for example with stents if surgery is deferred and/or interventional radiology.
Priority level 3: Elective surgery can be delayed for 1012 weeks will have no predicted negative outcome.
* Classification of procedures according to priority.
| Classification | Time | According to pathology |
|---|---|---|
| Emergency | whithin 1 hours | Tumor rupture with bleeding and instability |
| Urgency | whithin 24 hours | Cholangitis ( biliare drainage )/ Tumor rupture with bleeding and instability - Embolization by radiointervetion |
| Relative urgency | whithin 2 weeks | Preoperative biliare drainage for hilar cholangiocarcinoma / Preoperative portal vein embolization / Neoadjuvant chemoembiolation |
| Essential elective | Betwenn 3-8 weeks | Resections of malignant liver tumors after neoadjuvance / Resections of galibladder tumor / Treatment of hilar cholangiocarcinoma after portal vein embolization and / or biliary drainage / Treatment of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma |
| Elective | more than8 weeks | Resections of benign tumors ( adenomas, large cysts, etc.) |
Colorectal liver metastases (CRLM):
Initiate neoadjuvant chemotherapy for rapidly growing metastases; synchronous or metastatic to more than one site, in resectable cases.
Avoid unnecessary prolongation of chemotherapy, only due to the epidemic.
If the patient has finished neoadjuvant treatment consider delay surgery for 4-6 weeks on major hepatectomies.
RFA and MWSA can be offered to 1-3 nodules < 3cm.
RFA for patients BCLC A group.
TACE as a bridge for transplantation.
In patients who have had TACE and are at risk of drop out of Milan criteria consider LT. Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (iCCA).
MWSA should consider to treatment single nodule <4cm.
Patients not suitable for MWSA consider surgery, give preference to laparoscopic or robotic techniques.
In the case of potentially resectable hilar cholangiocarcinoma biliary drainage and portal vein embolisation should be considered.
Surgery should not be delayed because it is an aggressive tumor that does not respond to other therapies.
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Journal: Brazilian Journal of Oncology
DOI: 10.1055/s-00059887
e-issn: 2526-8732
Publisher: Thieme Revinter Publicações Ltda.
Publisher address: Rua do Matoso 170, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, CEP 20270-135, Brazil
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