Leading cancer experts from across Europe issued an international expert consensus statement in the journal Radiotherapy & Oncology regarding radiotherapy treatment options for patients with rectal cancer during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.1
The researchers used the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) rectal cancer guidelines as a framework for crafting their recommendations. Based on the latest research evidence, the experts suggested a one-week course of radiotherapy and delaying surgery as the most effective way to treat patients with rectal cancer during the pandemic.
“The COVID-19 pandemic is a global emergency and we needed to work very quickly to identify changes that would benefit patients. Our recommendations were published 20 days after our first meeting,” leader of the expert panel, David Sebag-Montefiore, professor of clinical…
