Background As the COVID-19 pandemic moves from rich to poor nations, the healthcare systems of developing countries have to deal with this extra burden. As cancer care cannot stop and surgery is the main mechanism for cure and palliation, it is important to provide safe and rational access to cancer surgery during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods From April 1st to May 1st, the committee of the Brazilian Society of Surgical Oncology (BSSO) was responsible for reviewing the literature and writing recommendations for perioperative cancer care in the context of limited resources during the pandemic. The recommendations were submitted to the BSSO board of directors. The orientations that were not consensual were removed and the suggestions were added to the text. From May 15 to 30th, the committee revised the recommendations, aligned them with the objectives of the work and standardize the text. Discussion The rational use of resources to reduce the risk of surgical cancer patients being operated on during the incubation period of a corona virus infection is important in this context. Prevalence of corona virus in the region, the need for surgery, surgical complexity, patient age and comorbidities, and availability of corona virus testing are central aspects in this matter and are discussed. Conclusions We present a protocol, focused on the patients’ outcomes, for safe and rational use of resources to reduce the risk of surgical cancer patients being operated on during the virus incubation period, in the context of areas with limited resources.