Worry and confusion around COVID-19 are common in the general population, but cancer patients are also balancing concern over what the pandemic means for their treatment, prognosis, and vulnerability to the virus. Doctors and nurses at Memorial Sloan Kettering (MSK) shared their expertise in a Patient Information Session where they provided answers to some of the most frequently asked questions on COVID-19’s effect on cancer patients and their families, treatment, and follow up care.
Roughly 1,200 members of the MSK community joined the session to ask their most pressing questions. Over a thousand questions were received in advance and listeners also had the opportunity to ask their questions live on the call. Topics ranged from what makes someone immunocompromised, to what MSK is doing to reduce the risk of COVID-19 at all our clinical locations, and how MSK is working to resume postponed cancer treatments.
MSK plans to continue these Patient Information Sessions on a regular basis to help address concerns from our larger community on a variety of cancer-related issues. The first session, moderated by MSK Physician-in-Chief Lisa DeAngelis, MD, featured seven other MSK specialists, including those with expertise in Infectious Disease, Critical Care, Nursing, and Surgery.
The next session scheduled for May 7th will be specifically for the MSK Kids community and address the concerns of pediatric patients and their families.