Recommendations for the use of radiation therapy in managing patients with gastrointestinal malignancies in the era of COVID-19

Leila T Tchelebi; Karin Haustermans; Marta Scorsetti; Ali Hosni; Florence Huguet; Maria A Hawkins; Laura A Dawson; Karyn A Goodman

doi:10.1016/j.radonc.2020.04.010

Recommendations for the use of radiation therapy in managing patients with gastrointestinal malignancies in the era of COVID-19

Radiother Oncol. 2020 Jul:148:194-200. doi: 10.1016/j.radonc.2020.04.010. Epub 2020 Apr 13.

Authors

Leila T Tchelebi¹, Karin Haustermans², Marta Scorsetti³, Ali Hosni⁴, Florence Huguet⁵, Maria A Hawkins⁶, Laura A Dawson⁷, Karyn A Goodman⁸

Affiliations

¹ Department of Radiation Oncology, Penn State College of Medicine, Hershey, USA. Electronic address: ltchelebi@pennstatehealth.psu.edu.
² Department of Radiation Oncology, Particle Therapy Interuniversity Center Leuven, Belgium.
³ Humanitas Clinical and Research Center - IRCCS, Department of Radiotherapy and Radiosurgery, Milan, Italy; Department of Biomedical Sciences, Humanitas University, Milan, Italy.
⁴ Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Toronto, Radiation Medicine Program, Princess Margaret Cancer Center, Toronto, Canada.
⁵ Department of Radiation Oncology, Hôpital Tenon, AP-HP.Sorbonne Université, Paris, France.
⁶ Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering, University College London, University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK.
⁷ Department of Biomedical Sciences, Humanitas University, Milan, Italy.
⁸ Department of Radiation Oncology, The Mount Sinai Hospital, New York, USA.

Abstract

As of April 6, 2020, there are over 1,200,000 reported cases and 70,000 deaths worldwide due to COVID-19, the disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, and these numbers rise exponentially by the day [1]. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the most effective means of minimizing the spread of the virus is through reducing interactions between individuals [2]. We performed a review of the literature, as well as national and international treatment guidelines, seeking data in support of the RADS principle (Remote visits, Avoid radiation, Defer radiation, Shorten radiation) [3] as it applies to gastrointestinal cancers. The purpose of the present work is to guide radiation oncologists managing patients with gastrointestinal cancers during the COVID-19 crisis in order to maintain the safety of our patients, while minimizing the impact of the pandemic on cancer outcomes.

Keywords: COVID-19; Gastrointestinal neoplasms; Pandemic; Radiation oncology.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Betacoronavirus*
COVID-19
Coronavirus Infections*
Gastrointestinal Neoplasms / radiotherapy*
Guidelines as Topic
Humans
Pandemics*
Pneumonia, Viral*
SARS-CoV-2