Understanding psychological distress affecting surgical oncology patients during the COVID-19 pandemic—experience from a tertiary cancer care center in the Middle East

Based on our data, we noticed higher levels of distress in younger individuals (younger than 54 years) and in female participants. The highest levels of distress were recorded in patients awaiting treatment and in those who were diagnosed with central nervous system cancer regardless of their treatment status. Higher levels of stress were reported in COVID-19 specific questions. Our results replicate what was published before in the literature associating the COVID-19 pandemic with stress among cancer patients.