Conclusions
Head and neck cancer is an important public health problem in India. The
current COVID-19 pandemic has presented an unprecedented situation in
human history, with massive disruption of health care activities. In
India, the treatment of HNC patients has been severely disrupted, with
increased waiting times, patient anxiety and potentially worse patient
outcomes. With the disruption likely to continue for the foreseeable
future, we believe that lockdown measures may be appropriately amended
to suit local needs. Patients need to be directed to alternative
treatment facilities, separate from a COVID-19 facility. Pre-operative
screening for COVID-19, availability of PPE and isolation of suspected
patients will act as confidence builders for healthcare teams treating
cancer patients during these challenging times. In the absence of clear
views on the future trends of this pandemic, all measures must be taken
to prevent patients with non-COVID diseases coming to harm.