Shift in indications for radiotherapy during the COVID-19 pandemic? A review of organ-specific cancer management recommendations from multidisciplinary and surgical expert groups

To examine, if a shift in indications for radiotherapy is to be expected in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, the database Pubmed was searched for multidisciplinary or surgical expert recommendations on the role of radiotherapy in modified treatment concepts. Increased use of radiotherapy or chemoradiation instead of surgical treatment was recommended for defined patient groups with head-and-neck cancer, lung cancer, cervix cancer, esophageal cancer and prostate cancer. Omission of radiotherapy was considered in elderly patients with low-risk breast cancer and in early-stage Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Only adjustments to the timing of radiotherapy were discussed for sarcoma and rectal cancer. Emerging recommendations on multidisciplinary cancer treatment concepts during the COVID-19 pandemic indicate a shift in radiotherapy indications and a potentially increased demand for radiotherapy.