INTRODUCTION
On 31 December 2019, the World Health Organization (WHO) was informed of a cluster of patients presenting with pneumonia in China. This disease, which was termed coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and was caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, spread worldwide, becoming a pandemic on 11 March 2020 [1]. Because COVID-19 has been found to be highly transmittable with a mortality of 0.3–15.06% [2], many countries have taken measures to limit the spread of the virus [3]. To deal with infected patients requiring mechanical ventilation, hospitals have created surge capacity with routine clinical practice severely disrupted [4]. Operating room personnel and equipment have been redeployed to critical care and COVID-19 wards. In some cases, operating rooms have been transformed into additional intensive care facilities [5].
The European Society of Thoracic Surgeons (ESTS) designed a questionnaire to assess how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the practice of thoracic oncology surgery by its members. The findings represent a snapshot of a specific period of the pandemic. They also reflect a specific situation during different phases of the pandemic [3]. The results of this survey will be disseminated to help thoracic surgeons appropriately manage their oncology practice during the COVID-19 pandemic.