コロナ禍での放射線治療の工夫

The COVID-19 pandemic also had a major impact on the field of radiation therapy. In May 2020, the Japanese Society for Radiation Oncology released “Recommendations for Radiation Therapy in the COVID-19 Pandemic”.The recommendations state that radiotherapy should be considered on a case-by-case basis, whether curative or palliative, and that necessary radiotherapy should be continued as long as possible and initiated without delay, even for patients with COVID-19. The report also discusses cases in which radiotherapy can be omitted or postponed, the recommended number of treatments, and post-treatment follow-up. The importance of proper use of personal protective equipment to prevent the spread of infection, as well as temporal and spatial segregation within the radiotherapy department, are also discussed. At our hospital, we have taken basic infection control measures for both patients and staff, such as avoiding close contact in the waiting area and using hand sanitizers. Fortunately, there are no clusters in the radiotherapy department, and we have continued to provide radiotherapy without interruption. In terms of treatment strategy, hypofractionated irradiation is recommended to shorten the number and duration of treatments while maintaining the therapeutic effect by increasing the dose per treatment. For hospitals, shortening the treatment period per patient can reduce the number of treatments, and for patients, it can reduce the burden of hospital visits, the risk of infection associated with traveling outside the hospital, and the risk of interruption of treatment. Our hospital has started hypofractionated irradiation for breast and prostate cancers. We will continue to take thorough measures to prevent infection so that we can continue to provide appropriate radiation therapy.