Carbon Ion Radiotherapy Acts as the Optimal Treatment Strategy for Unresectable Liver Cancer During the Coronavirus Disease 2019 Crisis

Bibliographic Data

ID22088154
AuthorsZheng Li (0000-0002-7537-2509, Chinese Academy of Sciences), Qiang Li (0000-0003-2737-0768, Chinese Academy of Sciences, corresponding author), Xiaohu Wang (0000-0003-0912-3050, Chinese Academy of Sciences), Sha Li (0000-0002-3241-0069, Chinese People's Liberation Army), Weiqiang Chen (0000-0003-3886-7147), Wei‐Qiang Chen (0000-0002-7686-2331, Chinese Academy of Sciences), Xiaodong Jin (0000-0002-4416-1055, Chinese Academy of Sciences), Xinguo Liu (0000-0002-2084-4310, Chinese Academy of Sciences), Zhongying Dai (Chinese Academy of Sciences), Xiongxiong Liu (0000-0002-1048-2758, Chinese Academy of Sciences), Xiaogang Zheng (0000-0002-5408-8322, Chinese Academy of Sciences), Ping Li (0000-0002-0813-0980, Chinese Academy of Sciences), Hui Zhang (0000-0002-8814-226X, Chinese Academy of Sciences), Qiuning Zhang (0000-0001-9476-1537, Chinese Academy of Sciences), Hongtao Luo (0009-0003-8275-127X, Chinese Academy of Sciences), Ruifeng Liu (0009-0004-7123-1604, Chinese Academy of Sciences)
Year2021
Volume9
Pages767617-767617
Publication date2021-12-09
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueFrontiers in Public Health (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2296-2565 • E-ISSN: 2296-2565
PublisherFrontiers Media SA (PUBLISHER • CH)
DOI10.3389/fpubh.2021.767617
PMID34957022
OpenAlexW4200387416
LanguageEN
References cited71

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has greatly disrupted the normal treatment of patients with liver cancer and increased their risk of death. The weight of therapeutic safety was significantly amplified for decision-making to minimize the risk of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. Herein, the safety and effectiveness of carbon ion radiotherapy (CIRT) for unresectable liver cancer (ULC) were evaluated, and Chinese experiences were shared to solve the predicament of ULC treatment caused by SARS-CoV-2. Worldwide studies were collected to evaluate CIRT for ULC as the world has become a community due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We not only searched five international databases including the Cochrane Library, Web of Science, PubMed, Embase, and Scopus but also performed supplementary retrieval with other sources. Chinese experiences of fighting against COVID-19 were introduced based on the advancements of CIRT in China and a prospective clinical trial of CIRT for treating ULC. A total of 19 studies involving 813 patients with ULC were included in the systematic review. The qualitative synthetic evaluation showed that compared with transarterial chemoembolization (TACE), CIRT could achieve superior overall survival, local control, and relative hepatic protection. The systematic results indicated that non-invasive CIRT could significantly minimize harms to patients with ULC and concurrently obtain superior anti-cancer effectiveness. According to the Chinese experience, CIRT allows telemedicine within the hospital (TMIH) to keep a sufficient person-to-person physical distance in the whole process of treatment for ULC, which is significant for cutting off the transmission route of SARS-CoV-2. Additionally, CIRT could maximize the utilization rate of hospitalization and outpatient care (UHO). Collectively, CIRT for ULC patients not only allows TMIH and the maximized UHO but also has the compatible advantages of safety and effectiveness. Therefore, CIRT should be identified as the optimal strategy for treating appropriate ULC when we need to minimize the risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection and to improve the capacity of medical service in the context of the unprecedented COVID-19 crisis

Cancer · Carbon Ion Radiotherapy · Cochrane Library · Disease · Pandemic · Radiation therapy · Randomized controlled trial · COVID-19 and healthcare impacts · Effects of Radiation Exposure · Hepatocellular Carcinoma Treatment and Prognosis · Medicine · Internal Medicine · Oncology

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