November 26, 2020

CANADIAN PERSPECTIVE ON MANAGING MULTIPLE MYELOMA DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC: LESSONS LEARNED AND FUTURE CONSIDERATIONS

The coronavirus disease 2019 (covid-19) pandemic caused by the novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 has necessitated changes to the way patients with chronic diseases are managed. Given that patients with multiple myeloma are at increased risk of covid-19 infection and related complications, national bodies and experts around the globe have made recommendations for risk mitigation strategies for those vulnerable patients. Understandably, because of the novelty of the virus, many of the proposed risk mitigation strategies have thus far been reactionary and  cannot  be  supported  by  strong  evidence.  In  this  editorial,  we  highlight  some  of  the  risk  mitigation  strategies  implemented at our institutions across Canada during the first wave of covid-19, and we discuss the considerations that should be made when managing patients during the second wave and beyond.

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