Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Patients and Staff in Radiation Oncology Departments in Belgium: A National Survey

Aude Vaandering; Selma Ben Mustapha; Maarten Lambrecht; Dirk Van Gestel; Liv Veldmeman

doi:10.3389/fonc.2021.654086

Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Patients and Staff in Radiation Oncology Departments in Belgium: A National Survey

Front Oncol. 2021 Mar 19:11:654086. doi: 10.3389/fonc.2021.654086. eCollection 2021.

Authors

Aude Vaandering^{1

2}, Selma Ben Mustapha³, Maarten Lambrecht⁴, Dirk Van Gestel⁵, Liv Veldmeman^{6

7}

Affiliations

¹ Radiation Oncology Department, Cliniques Universitaires Saint Luc, Brussels, Belgium.
² Center of Molecular Imaging, Radiotherapy and Oncology (MIRO), Institut de Recherche Expérimentale et Clinique (IREC), Université catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium.
³ Department of Radiation Oncology, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire (CHU) de Liège, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium.
⁴ Department of Radiotherapy-Oncology, Leuven Kanker Instituut, Universitair Ziekenhuis (UZ) Gasthuisberg, Leuven, Belgium.
⁵ Department of Radiation Oncology, Institut Jules Bordet, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium.
⁶ Department of Human Structure and Repair, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.
⁷ Department of Radiation Oncology, Ghent University Hospital, Ghent, Belgium.

Abstract

Purpose: COVID-19 reached Belgium in February and quickly became a major public health challenge. It is of importance to evaluate the actual impact of COVID-19 on patients and staff in Belgian radiotherapy departments (RTDs). This was evaluated through a weekly national survey sent to departments measuring key factors that were affected by the pandemic. Materials and Methods: The Belgian SocieTy for Radiation Oncology (BeSTRO) together with the Belgian College for physicians in Radiation Oncology invited all 26 RTD to participate in a survey that started on March 2nd and was re- submitted weekly for 4 months to assess variations in time. The survey focused on: (1) the COVID-19 status of patients and staff; (2) the management of clinically suspected COVID patients and COVID positive patients; (3) the impact of COVID-19 on RTD activities; (4) its impact in radiotherapy indications and fractionation schemes. Results: Seventy-three percent of 26 RTDs completed the first survey and 57% responded to all weekly surveys. In the RTD staff, 24 members were COVID-positive of whom 67% were RTTs. Over the study period, the number of patients treated dropped by a maximum of 18.8% when compared to March 2nd. In 32.3% of COVID-positive and 54% of COVID suspected patients, treatment was continued without any interruptions. Radiotherapy indications were adapted within the 1st weeks of the survey in 47.4% of RTD, especially for urological and breast tumors. Fractionation schemes were changed in 68.4% of RTD, mainly for urological, breast, gastro-intestinal, and lung tumors. Conclusions: Between March and June 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in an important decrease in treatment activity in RTD in Belgium (18.8%). The COVID-19 infection status of patients influenced the continuity of the radiotherapy schedule. Changes in indications and fractionation schedules of radiotherapy were rapidly incorporated in the different RTD.

Keywords: COVID-19; national survey; pandemic; radiation oncology; radiotherapy.