A group of radiation oncologists from the United States and United Kingdom developed a framework to assist in the decision-making process in regard to radiation treatment for patients with prostate cancer during the global COVID-19 pandemic, according to a study pre-printed in Advances in Radiation Oncology.
The framework, deemed the “RADS framework,” stands for “Remote visits, and Avoidance, Deferment, and Shortening of radiotherapy.” It was determined that all aspects of patient visits, treatment, and overall resource utilization should be reduced when possible for all stages of radiotherapy, but not to the detriment of the patient.
“We issued these recommendations assuming that the pandemic will last for at least several months, with multiple waves of varying length, and place new overall stress on hospital systems, along with causing disruptions to hospital staffing from illness, quarantine and family responsibilities,” corresponding study author Daniel Spratt, MD, said in a news article.
