Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34590595›Full record

ArticleCurrent oncology (Toronto, Ont.)2021

COVID-19 Pandemic-Adapted Radiotherapy Guidelines: Are They Really Followed?

Elena Galofaro, Claudio Malizia, Ilario Ammendolia, Andrea Galuppi, Alessandra Guido, Maria Ntreta, Giambattista Siepe, Giorgio Tolento, Antonio Veraldi, Erica Scirocco and 7 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Current oncology (Toronto, Ont.), 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Efficacy and toxicity of hypofractionated radiation therapy for patients with hematologic malignancies: A COVID-era ILROG collaborative report.Radiotherapy and oncology : journal of the European Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology · 2025
    Article
  2. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

17 authors.

Elena GalofaroRadiation Oncology, IRCCS Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Bologna, 40138 Bologna, Italy.ORCID 0000-0003-1105-4533
Claudio MaliziaNuclear Medicine, IRCCS Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Bologna, 40138 Bologna, Italy.
Ilario AmmendoliaRadiation Oncology, IRCCS Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Bologna, 40138 Bologna, Italy.
Andrea GaluppiRadiation Oncology, IRCCS Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Bologna, 40138 Bologna, Italy.
Alessandra GuidoRadiation Oncology, IRCCS Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Bologna, 40138 Bologna, Italy.
Maria NtretaRadiation Oncology, IRCCS Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Bologna, 40138 Bologna, Italy.ORCID 0000-0003-3601-1038
Giambattista SiepeRadiation Oncology, IRCCS Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Bologna, 40138 Bologna, Italy.ORCID 0000-0001-6308-1694
Giorgio TolentoRadiation Oncology, IRCCS Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Bologna, 40138 Bologna, Italy.
Antonio VeraldiRadiation Oncology, IRCCS Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Bologna, 40138 Bologna, Italy.
Erica SciroccoRadiation Oncology, IRCCS Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Bologna, 40138 Bologna, Italy.
Alessandra ArcelliRadiation Oncology, IRCCS Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Bologna, 40138 Bologna, Italy.ORCID 0000-0003-0253-8958
Milly BuwengeRadiation Oncology, IRCCS Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Bologna, 40138 Bologna, Italy.
Martina FerioliRadiation Oncology, IRCCS Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Bologna, 40138 Bologna, Italy.ORCID 0000-0001-8012-4510
Alice ZamagniRadiation Oncology, IRCCS Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Bologna, 40138 Bologna, Italy.
Lidia StrigariMedical Physics, IRCCS Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Bologna, 40138 Bologna, Italy.ORCID 0000-0003-4293-2298
Silvia CammelliRadiation Oncology, IRCCS Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Bologna, 40138 Bologna, Italy.ORCID 0000-0003-2111-0164
Alessio Giuseppe MorgantiRadiation Oncology, IRCCS Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Bologna, 40138 Bologna, Italy.ORCID 0000-0001-9793-3410

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundIn our department, we provided guidelines to the radiation oncologists (ROs) regarding the omission, delay, or shortening of radiotherapy (RT). The purpose was to reduce the patients' exposure to the hospital environment and to minimize the departmental overcrowding. The aim was to evaluate the ROs' compliance to these guidelines.

methodsROs were asked to fill out a data collection form during patients' first visits in May and June 2020. The collected data included the ROs' age and gender, patient age and residence, RT purpose, treated tumor, the dose and fractionation that would have been prescribed, and RT changes. The chi-square test and binomial logistic regression were used to analyze the correlation between the treatment prescription and the collected parameters.

resultsOne hundred and twenty-six out of 205 prescribed treatments were included in this analysis. Treatment was modified in 61.1% of cases. More specifically, the treatment was omitted, delayed, or shortened in 7.9, 15.9, and 37.3% of patients, respectively. The number of delivered fractions was reduced by 27.9%. A statistically significant correlation (

conclusionOur analysis showed a reasonably high compliance of ROs to the pandemic-adapted guidelines. The adopted strategy was effective in reducing the number of admissions to our department.

Indexed as

COVID-19Radiation OncologyDose Fractionation, RadiationHumansPandemicsSARS-CoV-2complianceCOVID-19guidelinesradiotherapy

Identifiers

PMID34590595
PMCPMC8482258

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.