Gamma Knife Radiosurgery for Treatment of Brain Metastases during the COVID-19 Outbreak.
Stereotact Funct Neurosurg
; 98(5): 319-323, 2020.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-690390
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION:
The WHO declared 2019 severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) a public health emergency of international concern. The National and Regional Health System has been reorganized, and many oncological patients died during this period or had to interrupt their therapies. This study summarizes a single-centre experience, during the COVID-19 period in Italy, in the treatment of brain metastases with Gamma Knife stereotactic radiosurgery (GKRS).METHODS:
We retrospectively analysed our series of patients with brain metastases who underwent GKRS at the Niguarda Hospital from February 24 to April 24, 2020.RESULTS:
We treated 30 patients with 66 brain metastases. A total of 22 patients came from home and 8 patients were admitted to the emergency room for urgent neurological symptoms. Duration of stay was limited to 0-1 day in 17 patients. We chose to treat a cluster of 9 patients, whose greater lesion exceeded 10 cm3, with 2-stage modality GKRS to minimize tumour recurrence and radiation necrosis.CONCLUSION:
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the whole world is at a critical crossroads about the use of health care resources. During the COVID-19 outbreak, the deferral of diagnostic and therapeutic procedures and a work backlog in every medical specialty are the natural consequences of reservation of resources for COVID-19 patients. GKRS improved symptoms and reduced the need for open surgeries, allowing many patients to continue their therapeutic path and sparing beds in ICUs. Neurosurgeons have to take into account the availability of stereotactic radiosurgery to reduce hospital stay, conciliating safety for patients and operators with the request for health care coming from the oncological patients and their families.Keywords
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Pneumonia, Viral
/
Brain Neoplasms
/
Radiosurgery
/
Coronavirus Infections
/
Pandemics
Type of study:
Observational study
/
Prognostic study
Limits:
Aged
/
Female
/
Humans
/
Male
/
Middle aged
Country/Region as subject:
Europa
Language:
English
Journal:
Stereotact Funct Neurosurg
Journal subject:
Neurosurgery
Year:
2020
Document Type:
Article
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