Journal article 377 views 53 downloads
Time spent in the radiotherapy department for breast cancer treatment, pre-, mid- and post-COVID-19 pandemic (a 6-year, single-centre service review)
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Douglas Etheridge ,
Christopher Rose ,
Ryan Lewis
Journal of Radiotherapy in Practice, Volume: 24, Start page: e17
Swansea University Author:
Joe Purden
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© The Author(s), 2025. This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution licence (CC BY).
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DOI (Published version): 10.1017/s1460396925000147
Abstract
Introduction: Before COVID-19, breast cancer patients in the UK typically received 15 radiotherapy (RT) fractions over three weeks. During the pandemic, adoption of a 5-fraction treatment prescription and more advanced treatment techniques like surface-guided RT, meant a change in the duration and n...
| Published in: | Journal of Radiotherapy in Practice |
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| ISSN: | 1460-3969 1467-1131 |
| Published: |
Cambridge University Press (CUP)
2025
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| Online Access: |
Check full text
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| URI: | https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa69166 |
| Abstract: |
Introduction: Before COVID-19, breast cancer patients in the UK typically received 15 radiotherapy (RT) fractions over three weeks. During the pandemic, adoption of a 5-fraction treatment prescription and more advanced treatment techniques like surface-guided RT, meant a change in the duration and number of hospital visits for patients accessing treatment. This work sought to understand how breast cancer patients’ time in the RT department has changed, between 2018 and 2023. Methods: Appointments for CT simulation, mould room, and RT, from January 2018 to December 2023, were extracted from the Mosaiq® Oncology Management System. Appointments lasting between 5 minutes and 5 hours were analysed. Total visit time was calculated from check-in to completion on the quality checklist. Results: In total, 29,523 attendances were analysed over 6 years. Average time spent in the department decreased during the pandemic but has since increased 12·4% above pre-COVID-19 levels. Early morning and late afternoon appointments resulted in the shortest visits, with early afternoon appointments leading to the longest visits. On average, patients spend the longest in the department on a Monday, and the least amount of time on a Friday. Friday was the least common day to start a 15-fraction treatment, whereas Tuesday and Friday were equally uncommon for the 5-fraction regime. Conclusions: During the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of visits a patient makes for breast cancer RT and related services dropped, and remained lower post-COVID-19, due to fewer treatment fractions being prescribed. Average time spent in the department initially decreased but has since increased beyond pre-COVID-19 levels. |
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| Keywords: |
Breast cancer, burden, COVID-19, radiotherapy, time |
| College: |
Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Sciences |
| Funders: |
Swansea University |
| Start Page: |
e17 |