Kubo Nobuteru, Ozawa Toshiki, Shioyama Yoshiyuki, Yamada Shigeru, Katoh Hiroyuki, Okimoto Tomoaki, Ohno Tatsuya
Gunma University Heavy Ion Medical Center, Gunma, Japan.
Ion Beam Therapy Center, SAGA-HIMAT Foundation, Saga, Japan.
Int J Part Ther. 2024 Oct 19;14:100634. doi: 10.1016/j.ijpt.2024.100634. eCollection 2024 Dec.
This study aimed to investigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on carbon-ion radiation therapy (CIRT) in Japan by evaluating patient numbers and treatment trends from 2019 to 2022.
Data from 5 CIRT facilities were analyzed, encompassing a total of 13 224 patients treated over the 4-year period. Patient demographics, cancer types, treatment protocols, and adherence to national health insurance coverage were examined. The study period was divided into unaffected (2019), significantly affected (2020-2021), and poststabilization (2022) phases, corresponding to progression of the pandemic. For monthly analysis, the period during which a state of emergency was declared by the Japanese government was defined as the pandemic period.
Prostate cancer comprised the majority of CIRT cases (62.4%), followed by hepatocellular carcinoma, bone and soft tissue tumors, locally advanced pancreatic cancer, and nonsquamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck. Despite the pandemic, the annual reduction in CIRT patients remained <5%, suggesting treatment continuity. Analysis of monthly treatment figures revealed a significant reduction in the number of patients with nonprostate cancers treated during the state of emergency, while a reduction in the number of prostate cancer treatments was observed approximately 6 months later. Although the number of COVID-19 patients continued to increase after 2022, the number of patients receiving CIRT increased after the state of emergency was declared.
Although there was a reduction in monthly CIRT patient numbers during the COVID-19 pandemic, yearly analysis revealed that this amounted to <5%.
本研究旨在通过评估2019年至2022年的患者数量和治疗趋势，调查新冠疫情对日本碳离子放射治疗（CIRT）的影响。
分析了5家CIRT机构的数据，涵盖了4年期间共13224例接受治疗的患者。检查了患者人口统计学、癌症类型、治疗方案以及国家医疗保险覆盖情况。研究期分为未受影响阶段（2019年）、受显著影响阶段（2020 - 2021年）和稳定后阶段（2022年），对应疫情的发展阶段。对于月度分析，将日本政府宣布紧急状态的时期定义为疫情期。
前列腺癌占CIRT病例的大多数（62.4%），其次是肝细胞癌、骨和软组织肿瘤、局部晚期胰腺癌以及头颈部非鳞状细胞癌。尽管疫情肆虐，CIRT患者的年减少率仍<5%，表明治疗的连续性。月度治疗数据的分析显示，紧急状态期间非前列腺癌患者的数量显著减少，而前列腺癌治疗数量的减少大约在6个月后出现。尽管2022年后新冠患者数量持续增加，但在宣布紧急状态后接受CIRT治疗的患者数量增加了。
尽管在新冠疫情期间CIRT患者的月度数量有所减少，但年度分析显示减少幅度<5%。
