OBJECTIVES: To report the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on patient attendance at a radiotherapy department two months after the implementation of specific policies regarding the pandemic. METHODS: The proposed treatment schemes, favoring hypofractionated schedules, and COVID-19 management strategies regarding irradiation are presented. Attendance after two months of implementation of these policies was measured and compared with that during the same period in 2019. RESULTS: A 10% reduction in the number of treated patients and a 26% reduction in the number of sessions was observed. The main impact was a decrease in the treatment of benign diseases and gastrointestinal tumors, with a general increase in breast cancer treatments. Eighteen (1.7%) patients were confirmed as having COVID-19 during radiotherapy in April and May 2020, three of whom were hospitalized, and one patient died because of COVID-19. Among the 18 patients, 12 had their treatments interrupted for at least 15 days from symptom appearance. CONCLUSION: There was a decrease in the number of treated patients in our radiotherapy department, with a greater decrease in the total number of sessions. This indicated, overall, a smaller number of fractions/patients treated, despite our efforts to maintain the treatment routine. We had several patients who were infected with COVID-19 and one related death during treatment in the first few months of the pandemic in São Paulo Brazil.
【저자키워드】 Coronavirus pandemic, Radiotherapy, Treatment Policy, 【초록키워드】 COVID-19, Treatment, Brazil, Breast cancer, pandemic, Hospitalized, COVID-19 pandemic, Symptom, management, implementation, Patient, death, disease, patients, tumors, Attendance, effort, decrease, greater decrease, was measured, were infected, died, indicated, treated, increase in, maintain, reduction in, treated patient, with COVID-19, 【제목키워드】 Treatment, Brazil, COVID-19 pandemic, hospital, Impact,