The Destiny of a Gynecology Clinic from Bucharest and its’ patients during COVID-19 Pandemic – A sad Romanian story

Abstract

Background/Aim: Since March 2020 when the number of COVID-19 positive patients reported a fulminant increase in Romania, reorganisation of the medical services took place in order to provide the possibility of treating increasing number of cases with this pathology and to diminish as much as possible the number of COVID-19 related deaths. The aim of the current paper is to analyse the outcomes of 273 patients with gynaecological cancers who could not be treated in the service were they were initially addressed. Material and Method: a total number of 343 patients with gynecologic oncology disorders were addressed to “Dr. Ion Cantacuzino” hospital in Bucharest Romania and could not be treated in this unit due to the fact that it became an auxiliary service for obstetrical COVID positive patients. Results: complete follow up was possible in 273 cases 87 patients were redistributed to other services of gynecologic oncology and received their surgical treatment as planned, 141 patients received their surgical treatment in other clinics after a mean delay of six months while 45 cases were further submitted to oncological treatment, four of them being dead at the end of the study. Conclusions: modification of hospital structure and diminishing the oncological patients’ access to oncologic surgery during COVID pandemic significantly impacted on gynecologic cancer care.