Head and neck radiotherapy amid the COVID-19 pandemic: practice recommendations of the Italian Association of Radiotherapy and Clinical Oncology (AIRO).
Med Oncol
; 37(10): 85, 2020 Aug 17.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-716386
ABSTRACT
Management of patients with head and neck cancers (HNCs) is challenging for the Radiation Oncologist, especially in the COVID-19 era. The Italian Society of Radiotherapy and Clinical Oncology (AIRO) identified the need of practice recommendations on logistic issues, treatment delivery and healthcare personnel's protection in a time of limited resources. A panel of 15 national experts on HNCs completed a modified Delphi process. A five-point Likert scale was used; the chosen cut-offs for strong agreement and agreement were 75% and 66%, respectively. Items were organized into two sections (1) general recommendations (10 items) and (2) special recommendations (45 items), detailing a set of procedures to be applied to all specific phases of the Radiation Oncology workflow. The distribution of facilities across the country was as follows 47% Northern, 33% Central and 20% Southern regions. There was agreement or strong agreement across the majority (93%) of proposed items including treatment strategies, use of personal protection devices, set-up modifications and follow-up re-scheduling. Guaranteeing treatment delivery for HNC patients is well-recognized in Radiation Oncology. Our recommendations provide a flexible tool for management both in the pandemic and post-pandemic phase of the COVID-19 outbreak.
Keywords
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Pneumonia, Viral
/
Practice Guidelines as Topic
/
Coronavirus Infections
/
Pandemics
/
Betacoronavirus
/
Head and Neck Neoplasms
/
Medical Oncology
Type of study:
Cohort study
/
Observational study
/
Prognostic study
Topics:
Long Covid
Limits:
Humans
Country/Region as subject:
Europa
Language:
English
Journal:
Med Oncol
Journal subject:
Neoplasms
Year:
2020
Document Type:
Article
Affiliation country:
S12032-020-01409-2
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