Brachytherapy practice during the COVID-19 pandemic: a review on the practice changes

Mansi Barthwal; Vibhay Pareek; Supriya Mallick; D Sharma

doi:10.5114/jcb.2020.97643

eISSN: 2081-2841
ISSN: 1689-832X

Journal of Contemporary Brachytherapy

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4/2020
vol. 12

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abstract:

Review paper

Brachytherapy practice during the COVID-19 pandemic: a review on the practice changes

Mansi Barthwal

¹

,

Vibhay Pareek

¹

,

Supriya Mallick

¹

,

D N Sharma

¹

Department of Radiation Oncology, National Cancer Institute, AIIMS, New Delhi, India

J Contemp Brachytherapy 2020; 12, 4: 393–396

DOI: https://doi.org/10.5114/jcb.2020.97643

Online publish date: 2020/07/26

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The COVID-19 pandemic has caused a havoc across the globe, and has significantly affected oncology services, especially radiation therapy due to the need of social distancing as a measure for the pandemic mitigation. Brachytherapy, being an integral part of radiation therapy, posts a dilemma related to the practice of evidence-based oncology. It requires a significant amount of resources and personnel, thereby increasing the risk of exposure to the virus. There has been a significant amount of papers published providing the best available alternatives to external radiation; however, there is a lack of literature on the practice of brachytherapy. In times of the pandemic, deploying brachytherapy as a treatment modality can act as a double-edged sword and therefore, judicious use is warranted in such times of crisis. In this article, we provide a comprehensive review of the role of brachytherapy in various forms and different malignancy sites.

keywords:

Brachytherapy practice during the COVID-19 pandemic: a review on the practice changes

Mansi Barthwal 1 , Vibhay Pareek 1 , Supriya Mallick 1 , D N Sharma 1

brachytherapy, COVID-19, intracavitary brachytherapy, interstitial brachytherapy, guidelines

Mansi Barthwal

¹

,

Vibhay Pareek

¹

,

Supriya Mallick

¹

,

D N Sharma

¹