COVID-19 and radiation oncology: the experience of a two-phase plan within a single institution in central Italy

Radiation Oncology

Nicoletta Verì¹  Claudio D’Amario¹  Cecilia Bonfiglio²  Lucrezia Gasparini²  Nico Adorante²  Andrea De Nicola²  Luciana Caravatta²  Consalvo Turchi²  Monica Di Tommaso²  Fabiola Patani²  Stefano Marcucci²  Giuseppe Centofanti²  Annamaria Vinciguerra²  Marzia Borgia²  Stephanie Sartori²  Maria Daniela Falco²  Maria Taraborrelli²  Domenico Mancinelli²  Marianna Trignani²  Gabriella Caravaggio²  Angelo Di Pilla²  David Fasciolo²  Antonietta Augurio²  Marianna Nuzzo²  Fiorella Cristina Di Guglielmo²  Lucia Anna Ursini²  Consuelo Rosa³  Domenico Genovesi³  Angelo Muraglia⁴  Thomas Schael⁴  Andrea Tavella Scaringi⁵  Maria Bernadette Di Sciascio⁵  Sergio Caputi⁶ 

[1] Abruzzo Region Health Policy Department, L’Aquila, Italy;Department of Radiation Oncology, “SS Annunziata” Hospital, “G. D’Annunzio” University, Via Dei Vestini, 66100, Chieti, Italy;Department of Radiation Oncology, “SS Annunziata” Hospital, “G. D’Annunzio” University, Via Dei Vestini, 66100, Chieti, Italy;Department of Neuroscience, Imaging and Clinical Sciences, “G. D’Annunzio” University, Chieti, Italy;Management “SS Annunziata” Hospital, Chieti, Italy;Quality and Clinical Governance “SS Annunziata” Hospital, Chieti, Italy;Rector “G. D’Annunzio” University, Chieti, Italy;

关键词: Coronavirus;    COVID-19;    Pandemic;    Radiation oncology;    Radiotherapy;    SARS-CoV-2;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s13014-020-01670-9

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundCOVID-19 in Italy has led to the need to reorganize hospital protocols with a significant risk of interruption to cancer treatment programs. In this report, we will focus on a management model covering the two phases of the COVID-19 emergency, namely lockdown-phase I and post-lockdown-phase II.MethodsThe following steps were taken in the two phases: workload during visits and radiotherapy planning, use of dedicated routes, measures for triage areas, management of suspected and positive COVID-19 cases, personal protective equipment, hospital environments and intra-institutional meetings and tumor board management. Due to the guidelines set out by the Ministry of Health, oncological follow-up visits were interrupted during the lockdown-phase I; consequently, we set about contacting patients by telephone, with laboratory and instrumental exams being viewed via telematics. During the post-lockdown-phase II, the oncological follow-up clinic reopened, with two shifts operating daily.ResultsBy comparing our radiotherapy activity from March 9 to May 4 2019 with the same period in 2020 during full phase I of the COVID-19 emergency, similar results were achieved. First radiotherapy visits, Simulation Computed Tomography and Linear Accelerator treatments amounted to 123, 137 and 151 in 2019 compared with 121, 135 and 170 in 2020 respectively. There were no cases of COVID-19 positivity recorded either in patients or in healthcare professionals, who were all negative to the swab tests performed.ConclusionDuring both phases of the COVID-19 emergency, the planned model used in our own experience guaranteed both continuity in radiotherapy treatments whilst neither reducing workload nor interrupting treatment and, as such, it ensured the safety of cancer patients, hospital environments and staff.

【 授权许可】

CC BY