Dr. Garon on Unique Challenges of COVID-19 in Lung Cancer

Edward B. Garon, MD, director of Thoracic Oncology at the Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center at University of California, Los Angeles, discusses unique challenges of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in lung cancer.

According to Garon, patients at UCLA did not appear to be dramatically hindered by COVID-19 exposure, which suggests they took necessary safety precautions.

However, patients with lung cancer are faced with unique challenges regarding COVID-19 as many of the symptoms associated with the virus, such as cough and fever, are also symptoms of lung cancer, Garon explains.

As such, it is necessary to ensure that health care professionals are comfortable when meeting with patients at clinics, as patients with lung cancer who may be coming in could have chronic cough or fever at baseline, but not be positive for COVID-19, concludes Garon.