Mukherji Ashutosh, Gupta Tejpal, Agarwal Jai Prakash
Department of Radiation Oncology, Mahamana Pandit Madanmohan Malviya Cancer Centre and Homi Bhabha Cancer Hospital (Tata Memorial Centre), Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India.
Department of Radiation Oncology, Tata Memorial Hospital, Homi Bhabha National Institute, Parel, Mumbai, India.
Indian J Cancer. 2020 Apr-Jun;57(2):221-223. doi: 10.4103/ijc.IJC_343_20.
The practice of radiation oncology requires stringent adherence to specific steps and principles designed to minimize exposure of an individual to unnecessary doses of radiation. The basic principles of such measures to reduce the risk of exposure and limit the doses of irradiation follow the "as low as reasonably achievable " or ALARA principle by using the concepts of time, distance and shielding. Potential exposures in radiation oncology are controlled through combination of optimal design and installation of radiation delivery equipment with well-defined standard operating procedures (SOPs). In the modern era of viral pandemics, similar principles can also be applied toward prevention of viral transmission and protection of populations at risk. In the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the probability of an individual getting infected is dependent on the viral load that an individual is exposed to in public spaces over a period of time. All prevention and control measures are based on preventing any such exposure to the virus, that can be achieved through limiting space for movement of the virus, using barriers and increasing distance to vulnerable surfaces, and limiting the duration of exposure. Apart from adhering to the laid-down provisions of a lock-down, preventive measures recommended for the general public include maintaining hand-hygiene, social distancing, and using facemasks to break the chain of transmission. Appropriate triage and customization of treatment protocols can help curtail hospital visits and time-spent by cancer patients during pandemic times, thereby reducing their risk of exposure as well as allowing efficient utilization of resources. The outbreak of the contagious COVID-19 pandemic threatens to disrupt healthcare systems globally with its unprecedented challenges. However, despite all the difficulties and hardships, it has also enabled new ways of learning and communication, which are likely to persist even in the post-COVID world.
放射肿瘤学的实践需要严格遵守特定的步骤和原则，旨在将个人暴露于不必要辐射剂量的情况降至最低。此类降低暴露风险并限制照射剂量的措施的基本原则遵循“合理可行尽量低”（ALARA）原则，即运用时间、距离和屏蔽的概念。放射肿瘤学中的潜在暴露通过优化设计和安装放射治疗设备并结合明确的标准操作程序（SOP）来控制。在当前病毒性大流行的时代，类似的原则也可应用于预防病毒传播和保护高危人群。在持续的新冠疫情中，个体感染的可能性取决于其在一段时间内在公共场所接触到的病毒载量。所有防控措施都基于防止任何此类病毒暴露，这可通过限制病毒传播空间、设置屏障、增加与易接触表面的距离以及限制暴露时间来实现。除了遵守封锁的既定规定外，向公众推荐的预防措施包括保持手部卫生、保持社交距离以及佩戴口罩以切断传播链。适当的分诊和定制治疗方案有助于减少癌症患者在疫情期间的医院就诊次数和停留时间，从而降低他们的暴露风险，同时也能有效利用资源。传染性新冠疫情的爆发以前所未有的挑战威胁着全球医疗系统。然而，尽管面临所有困难和艰辛，它也催生了新的学习和交流方式，这些方式甚至可能在新冠疫情后的世界中持续存在。
