Medical oncology
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Letter
Questions asked through two examples of dilemmas of publication ethics in the process of COVID-19.
The COVID-19 pandemic is a kind of global disaster caused by the new coronavirus-19, the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Since the first eruption of this pandemic, which adversely affected the world in many ways, a large number of publications have been presented to the world of science. In this article, possible publication ethical dilemmas related to scientific articles increasing in number during the COVID-19 pandemic were tried to be reminded through two examples of articles.
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Management of patients with head and neck cancers (HNCs) is challenging for the Radiation Oncologist, especially in the COVID-19 era. The Italian Society of Radiotherapy and Clinical Oncology (AIRO) identified the need of practice recommendations on logistic issues, treatment delivery and healthcare personnel's protection in a time of limited resources. A panel of 15 national experts on HNCs completed a modified Delphi process. ⋯ There was agreement or strong agreement across the majority (93%) of proposed items including treatment strategies, use of personal protection devices, set-up modifications and follow-up re-scheduling. Guaranteeing treatment delivery for HNC patients is well-recognized in Radiation Oncology. Our recommendations provide a flexible tool for management both in the pandemic and post-pandemic phase of the COVID-19 outbreak.
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The COVID-19 pandemic has deeply impacted the activity of interventional oncology in cancer centers. Since the first COVID case was diagnosed in Italy on February 21st, our Hospital, located in Milan downtown, has been at the frontline to manage this emergency and to try to ensure essential services. In the present article, we discuss the changes that need to be done for the organization, safety, and patient management in interventional oncology.
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Cancer patients are at particular risk from COVID-19 since they usually present multiple risk factors for this infection such as older age, immunosuppressed state, comorbidities (e.g., chronic lung disease, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases), need of frequent hospital admissions and visits. Therefore, in the COVID era, oncologists should carefully weigh risks/benefits when planning cancer therapies and follow-up appointments. Recently, several scientific associations developed specific guidelines or recommendations to help physicians in their clinical practice. This review focuses on main available guidelines/recommendations regarding the cancer patient management during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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We here express our concern about a general decree to let patients wear face masks in radiation oncology clinics. We believe that potential risks associated with wearing masks, such as the risk of confounding patients, outweigh any benefits of such a policy for which evidence of protection from COVID-19 is generally weak. For asymptomatic patients, wearing masks in addition to hygiene standards will not provide additional protection of others and should be cautioned against.