• Cemil Burak Kulle, Ibrahim Fethi Azamat, Dogan Vatansever, Suat Erus, Kayhan Tarim, Goktug Akyoldas, Ozan Gokler, Mehmet Ali Deveci, Nahit Cakar, Onder Ergonul, Orhan Agcaoglu, Murat Can Kiremit, Omer Yavuz, Talat Kiris, Selin Unsaler, Burak Giray, Murat Korkmaz, Ece Dilege, Mert Kilic, Ezgi Cesur, Ihsan Solaroglu, Ozan Altuntas, Aykin Simsek, Serhan Tanju, Mert Erkan, Erdem Canda, Mehdi Sasani, Aysenur Meric Hafiz, Yakup Kordan, Emre Balik, Orhan Bilge, Dursun Bugra, Cagatay Taskiran, and Sukru Dilege.
• Department of General Surgery, School of Medicine, Koc University, Istanbul, Turkey.
• J Surg Oncol. 2021 Jun 1; 123 (7): 1495-1503.

BackgroundWe aimed to assess the feasibility and short-term clinical outcomes of surgical procedures for cancer at an institution using a coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)-free surgical pathway during the peak phase of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic.Materials And MethodsThis was a single-center study, including cancer patients from all surgical departments, who underwent elective surgical procedures during the first peak phase between March 10 and June 30, 2020. The primary outcomes were the rate of postoperative SARS-CoV-2 infection and 30-day pulmonary or non-pulmonary related morbidity and mortality associated with SARS-CoV-2 disease.ResultsFour hundred and four cancer patients fulfilling inclusion criteria were analyzed. The rate of patients who underwent open and minimally invasive procedures was 61.9% and 38.1%, respectively. Only one (0.2%) patient died during the study period due to postoperative SARS-CoV2 infection because of acute respiratory distress syndrome. The overall non-SARS-CoV2 related 30-day morbidity and mortality rates were 19.3% and 1.7%, respectively; whereas the overall SARS-CoV2 related 30-day morbidity and mortality rates were 0.2% and 0.2%, respectively.ConclusionsUnder strict institutional policies and measures to establish a COVID-19-free surgical pathway, elective and emergency cancer operations can be performed with acceptable perioperative and postoperative morbidity and mortality.© 2021 Wiley Periodicals LLC.

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