COVID-19

COVID-19 can be more dangerous for a patient with cancer because of a weakened immune system and the side effects of treatments. Patients should be aware of the risks involved when seeking care during the pandemic.

COVID-19 has brought virtual learning into the mainstream, meaning that a child with cancer who learns from home is now in the same “classroom” environment as any other student, which can reduce feelings of stress and anxiety.

As states roll out their reopening plans, patients with cancer need to start scheduling treatments that have been postponed or canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Disease recurrence is a common cause for the stress and anxiety typically experienced by cancer survivors even long after treatment ends. Several mental health experts provide some tips for easing these fears.

Dr. Chevon Rariy directs a large telehealth program for patients with cancer. Telehealth has been a great asset, she says, but stresses that patients with cancer must not delay treatments and services that require in-person care.

We are all now living in the land of uncertainty, and many patients with cancer have had their treatment plans interrupted. Breast cancer survivor and CONQUER magazine’s Editor-in-Chief Lillie E. Shockney looks at how COVID-19 may affect patients dealing with cancer these days.

Shera Dubitsky, MEd, MA, uses her personal experience caring for her father from afar during the COVID-19 pandemic to offer tips on distant caregiving for patients with cancer.

In her introduction to the April issue, Lillie D. Shockney, RN, BS, MAS, HON-ONN-CG, offers wise suggestions to patients dealing with cancer while the world experiences an unprecedented crisis.

Corrie House, an oncology nurse, cared for her husband for more than 3 years before he died of cancer. She shares the lessons she learned from this experience, providing tips on how to cope with a crisis such as the current pandemic.