In the midst of a pandemic, many patients are finding themselves making difficult choices: Should I go to my biopsy follow-up and risk catching COVID?

Unfortunately, many patients feel the risk isn’t worth it to visit a medical facility. But this is creating huge implications when it comes to diagnosing and treating high-mortality diseases like liver and pancreatic cancer.

Dr. Joshua Shaw, Transplant Surgeon & HPB Surgical Oncologist at Broward Health, joins the show to discuss his experiences, including ways to avoid delays in surgery, encouragement for those still avoiding in-person appointments, and new developments in surgical oncology.

Here are the show highlights:

- Patient tips & best practices to prevent delays in treatment (2:41)

- The evolving definition of operability & what it means for cancer patients (6:16)

- How COVID-19 has delayed treatment for cancer patients (13:27)

- What to say to patients who are afraid to come in because of COVID (17:16)

- How Dr. Shaw deals with stressful situations (23:50)

Check out these resources we mentioned during the podcast:

- J1shaw@browardhealth.org

- https://www.browardhealth.org/services/transplant-services

To hear more interviews like this one, subscribe to the Working In Oncology Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your preferred podcast platform.