Computed Tomography in Radiation Oncology During the Coronavirus Disease 2019 Pandemic

During the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, cancer centers must implement effective measures to protect patients and staff from infection with the novel coronavirus. A critical component of this effort is the timely identification of patients undergoing treatment who have COVID-19. Limitations on testing make such efforts challenging. However, the specialty of radiation oncology is unique in its use of computed tomography (CT) imaging for image guidance, and these CT studies have the potential to identify patients with COVID-19 even before they develop symptoms. Several organizations have developed published guidelines for radiologists to identify characteristic findings of COVID-19 on thoracic CT scans. The present article describes these recommendations in order to educate radiation oncologists on how to identify potential cases of COVID-19 and empower physicians in our field to optimally protect patients and staff.