A Practical Guide to Mitigate the Response of Corona Virus Pandemic in Radiotherapy Treatment

Ghritashee Bora,Shashank Bansal,Vikas Jagtap

doi:10.31557/apjcc.2020.5.s1.153-156

Ghritashee Bora, Shashank Bansal + Show 1 more

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https://doi.org/10.31557/apjcc.2020.5.s1.153-156

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Abstract

The current global pandemic of Corona virus has impacted the health care severely. Many of the non-emergency cases and general illness cases have been asked to avoid hospital visit or wait for elective surgeries. The same may not be possible for the patients suffering from cancer as it considered a major health problem owing to the risk of metastasis as well as disease becoming unresectable with time. Unfortunately, we don’t have studies weighing the risk versus benefit ratio of delaying oncological treatment weighted against an added comorbidity of COVID infection. Radiotherapy being an integral part of cancer care is affected the most as it is delivered, continuous over a long period of time and unplanned gap because of travel restriction on patients makes decision making more difficult for radiation oncologist. In this article we’ve highlighted few major problems in delivering radiation to cancer patients at this time of global pandemic of corona virus and tried to find out possible solution.

Highlights

In December, 2019, a series of pneumonia cases of unknown cause emerged in Wuhan, Hubei, China, with clinical presentations greatly resembling viral pneumonia [1]
The disease can spread from person to person through small droplets from the nose or mouth which spreads when a person with COVID-19 coughs or exhales, social distancing and avoiding social gathering may protect us from acquiring this infection [4]
Many questions appear in front of radiation oncologist, which makes decision making more crucial as no standard guidelines exists, most important being; in which patients’ radiotherapy can be avoided or delayed, dose adjustment for unplanned treatment gaps during radiation therapy, how to prioritize new cases to offer maximal benefit by starting radiotherapy early and how to manage a patient infected with COVID-19 during or before radiotherapy

Summary

Introduction

In December, 2019, a series of pneumonia cases of unknown cause emerged in Wuhan, Hubei, China, with clinical presentations greatly resembling viral pneumonia [1]. Cancer patients are more likely to get COVID-19 infection as they are immunosuppressive because of cancer itself or cancer directed treatment i.e. radiotherapy, chemotherapy, immunotherapy or targeted therapy. Many questions appear in front of radiation oncologist, which makes decision making more crucial as no standard guidelines exists, most important being; in which patients’ radiotherapy can be avoided or delayed, dose adjustment for unplanned treatment gaps during radiation therapy, how to prioritize new cases to offer maximal benefit by starting radiotherapy early and how to manage a patient infected with COVID-19 during or before radiotherapy.

Results

Conclusion