INTRODUCTION
Since the World Health Organization declared the COVID-19 pandemic on March 11, 2020, there have been more than eight and a half million documented infections and nearly half a million deaths in the first wave (as of June 21, 2020)(1). In Spain, state of alarm was declared and during lockdown (March-June 2020) the containment measures imposed were unprecedented. Mobility restriction and the overload of the health system forced the postponement or cancellation of many non-urgent health processes.
In the setting of Pediatric Neuro-Oncology, continued patient care is essential as the delay in diagnosis or treatment of these patients can result in an increase in morbidity and mortality. Furthermore, oncology patients on active treatment were considered at greater risk to both acquisition of infection and development of complications from COVID-19. Accordingly, during the first wave of the pandemic, hospital processes were adapted to guarantee healthcare in optimal safety conditions.
In the Neuro-Oncology Unit at Hospital NiƱo Jesus, approximately 40-50 new patients are diagnosed every year. Once state of alarm was declared, in order to reduce the exposure to the virus, the following measures were enforced: restriction of one parent per patient, facial mask, social distancing, hand hygiene and systematic PCR testing for COVID-19 of patients who required admission. In-person visits were reduced to a minimum and replaced by telephone consultations when necessary. These measures have been advised in the literature (2).