• J-J Tuech, A Gangloff, F Di Fiore, P Michel, C Brigand, K Slim, M Pocard, and L Schwarz.
• Rouen University Hospital, Department of Digestive Surgery, 1, rue de Germont, 76031 Rouen cedex, France; Normandie University, UNIROUEN, UMR 1245 Inserm, Rouen University Hospital, Department of Genomic and Personalized Medicine in Cancer and Neurological Disorders, 76000 Rouen, France. Electronic address: jean-jacques.tuech@chu-rouen.fr.
• J Visc Surg. 2020 Jun 1; 157 (3S1): S7-S12.

AbstractThe Covid-19 pandemic is changing the organization of healthcare and has a direct impact on digestive surgery. Healthcare priorities and circuits are being modified. Emergency surgery is still a priority. Functional surgery is to be deferred. Laparoscopic surgery must follow strict rules so as not to expose healthcare professionals (HCPs) to added risk. The question looms large in cancer surgery-go ahead or defer? There is probably an added risk due to the pandemic that must be balanced against the risk incurred by deferring surgery. For each type of cancer-colon, pancreas, oesogastric, hepatocellular carcinoma-morbidity and mortality rates are stated and compared with the oncological risk incurred by deferring surgery and/or the tumour doubling time. Strategies can be proposed based on this comparison. For colonic cancers T1-2, N0, it is advisable to defer surgery. For advanced colonic lesions, it seems judicious to undertake neoadjuvant chemotherapy and then wait. For rectal cancers T3-4 and/or N+, chemoradiotherapy is indicated, short radiotherapy must be discussed (followed by a waiting period) to reduce time of exposure in the hospital and to prevent infections. Most complex surgery with high morbidity and mortality-oesogastric, hepatic or pancreatic-is most often best deferred.Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

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