RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Symptom Burden in Patients Treated With Palliative Radiotherapy Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic
JF Anticancer Research
JO Anticancer Res
FD International Institute of Anticancer Research
SP 1971
OP 1974
DO 10.21873/anticanres.14964
VO 41
IS 4
A1 CARSTEN NIEDER
A1 SILJE K. JOHNSEN
A1 ANNETTE M. WINTHER
YR 2021
UL http://ar.iiarjournals.org/content/41/4/1971.abstract
AB Background/Aim: Oncological care has faced several challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic, e.g. treatment delay and worsening symptoms. Patient-reported anxiety, depression and sleep quality might have changed due to these special circumstances. Therefore, we analyzed the symptom burden of patients treated with palliative radiotherapy at our center. Patients and Methods: A retrospective study was performed of 50 consecutive patients and the results were compared to those obtained in a previous pre-COVID study. The Edmonton Symptom Assessment Scale was employed to assess the preradiotherapy symptoms. Results: The highest mean scores were reported for pain in activity (3.2) and dry mouth (3.1). Regarding anxiety, sadness/depression and sleep, the corresponding scores were 1.5, 1.2 and 2.7, respectively. Compared to the previous study, no significant increases were found. Most items had numerically lower mean values, e.g. anxiety (1.5 vs. 2.7). Both study populations had comparable median age (70.5 vs. 70 years), gender distribution and proportion of patients with bone metastases. However, there were two significant imbalances, namely a lower proportion of patients with prostate cancer (12 vs. 30%, p=0.02) and breast cancer (0 vs. 12%, p=0.02). Conclusion: In patients who showed up for radiation treatment planning, the suspected increase in anxiety, sadness/depression and sleep disturbance was not demonstrable. It is not known whether or not patients with substantial worries chose to decline referral to palliative radiotherapy. Therefore, comprehensive large-scale studies of patterns of care are needed to fully understand the impact of COVID-19-related measures.