THE IMPACT OF SARS-CoV-2 INFECTION ON THE SURGICAL MANAGEMENT OF COLORECTAL CANCER: LESSONS LEARNED FROM A MULTICENTER STUDY IN SPAIN.

The aim of the study was to analyze the management of Colorectal Cancer (CRC) patients diagnosed with CRC or undergoing elective surgery during the period of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. A multicenter ambispective analysis was performed in nine centers in Spain during a 4-month period. Data were collected from every patient, including changes in treatments, referrals or delays in surgeries, changes in surgical approaches, postoperative outcomes and perioperative SARS-CoV-2 status. The hospital's response to the outbreak and available resources were categorized, and outcomes were divided into periods based on the timeline of the pandemic. A total of 301 patients were included by the study centers and 259 (86%) underwent surgery. Five hospitals went into phase III during the peak of incidence period, one remained in phase II and three in phase I. More than 60% of patients suffered some form of change: 48% referrals, 39% delays, 4% of rectal cancer patients had a prolonged interval to surgery and 5% underwent neoadjuvant treatment. At the time of study closure, 3% did not undergo surgery. More than 85% of the patients were tested preoperatively for SARS-CoV-2. A total of 9 patients (3%) developed postoperative pneumonia, three of them had confirmed SARS-CoV-2. The observed surgical complications and mortality rates were similar as expected in a usual situation. The present multicenter study shows different patterns of response to the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic and collateral effects in managing CRC patients. Knowing these patterns could be useful for planning future changes in surgical departments in preparation for new outbreaks.