Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Outcomes for Patients with Lung Cancer Receiving Curative-intent Radiotherapy in the UK

AIMS

Previous work found that during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, 34% of patients with lung cancer treated with curative-intent radiotherapy in the UK had a change to their centre's usual standard of care treatment (Banfill et al. Clin Oncol 2022;34:19-27). We present the impact of these changes on patient outcomes.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The COVID-RT Lung database was a prospective multicentre UK cohort study including patients with stage I-III lung cancer referred for and/or treated with radical radiotherapy between April and October 2020. Data were collected on patient demographics, radiotherapy and systemic treatments, toxicity, relapse and death. Multivariable Cox and logistic regression were used to assess the impact of having a change to radiotherapy on survival, distant relapse and grade ≥3 acute toxicity. The impact of omitting chemotherapy on survival and relapse was assessed using multivariable Cox regression.

RESULTS

Patient and follow-up forms were available for 1280 patients. Seven hundred and sixty-five (59.8%) patients were aged over 70 years and 603 (47.1%) were female. The median follow-up was 213 days (119, 376). Patients with stage I-II non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who had a change to their radiotherapy had no significant increase in distant relapse (P = 0.859) or death (P = 0.884); however, they did have increased odds of grade ≥3 acute toxicity (P = 0.0348). Patients with stage III NSCLC who had a change to their radiotherapy had no significant increase in distant relapse (P = 0.216) or death (P = 0.789); however, they did have increased odds of grade ≥3 acute toxicity (P < 0.001). Patients with stage III NSCLC who had their chemotherapy omitted had no significant increase in distant relapse (P = 0.0827) or death (P = 0.0661).

CONCLUSION

This study suggests that changes to radiotherapy and chemotherapy made in response to the COVID-19 pandemic did not significantly affect distant relapse or survival. Changes to radiotherapy, namely increased hypofractionation, led to increased odds of grade ≥3 acute toxicity. These results are important, as hypofractionated treatments can help to reduce hospital attendances in the context of potential future emergency situations.

Does medical futility matter in 'do not attempt CPR' decision-making?

The current demographical trend towards an increasingly elderly population combined with advances in end of life care calls for a deeper understanding and common terminology about the concept of futility and additional influences on the resuscitation decision-making process. Such improved understanding of medical futility and other contributing factors when making DNACPR orders would help to ensure that clinicians make appropriate and thoughtful decisions on whether to recommend resuscitation in a patient. When estimating medical futility a physician should consider the chance of survival over different time periods and balance this against the chance of adverse outcomes. This information can then be offered to the patient (or the relatives) so that the patient's views about what is acceptable for the survival chance, length and type of survival can be factored into the eventual decision. Given the lack of evidence in this area and the poor level of patient knowledge and the emotive nature of the topic, it is not surprising that clinicians find such discussions hard.