Nationwide changes in radiation oncology travel and location of care before and during the COVID-19 pandemic

• 영문명: Nationwide changes in radiation oncology travel and location of care before and during the COVID-19 pandemic
• 발행기관: 대한방사선종양학회
• 저자명: Alexandra N. De Leo Fantine Giap Matthew M. Culbert Nicolette Drescher Ryan J. Brisson Vincent Cassi
• 간행물 정보: 『대한방사선종양학회지』제41권 제2호, 108~119쪽, 전체 12쪽
• 주제분류: 의약학 > 종양학
• 파일형태: PDF
• 발행일자: 2023.06.30

영문 초록

Purpose: Patients with cancer are particularly vulnerable to coronavirus disease (COVID). Transportation barriers made travel to obtain medical care more difficult during the pandemic. Whether these factors led to changes in the distance traveled for radiotherapy and the coordinated location of radiation treatment is unknown. Materials and Methods: We analyzed patients across 60 cancer sites in the National Cancer Database from 2018 to 2020. Demographic and clinical variables were analyzed for changes in distance traveled for radiotherapy. We designated the facilities in the 99th percentile or above in terms of the proportion of patients who traveled more than 200 miles as “destination facilities.” We defined “coordinated care” as undergoing radiotherapy at the same facility where the cancer was diagnosed. Results: We evaluated 1,151,954 patients. There was a greater than 1% decrease in the proportion of patients treated in the Mid-Atlantic States. Mean distance traveled from place of residence to radiation treatment decreased from 28.6 to 25.9 miles, and the proportion traveling greater than 50 miles decreased from 7.7% to 7.1%. At “destination facilities,” the proportion traveling more than 200 miles decreased from 29.3% in 2018 to 24% in 2020. In comparison, at the other hospitals, the proportion traveling more than 200 miles decreased from 1.07% to 0.97%. In 2020, residing in a rural area resulted in a lower odds of having coordinated care (multivariable odds ratio = 0.89; 95% confidence interval, 0.83–0.95). Conclusion: The first year of the COVID pandemic measurably impacted the location of U.S. radiation therapy treatment.

목차

Introduction

Materials and Methods

Results

Discussion and Conclusion

Statement of Ethics

Conflict of Interest

Funding

Author Contributions

Data Availability Statement

Supplementary Materials

References

키워드

Radiation Oncology COVID-19 Access to health care