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OBJECTIVE The goal of this article was to assess the effects and consequences of strict measures in radiation oncology centers in northeastern Turkey during the coronavirus disease-2019 pandemic and to ensure that the reorganization of programs occurred without interruption to radiotherapy (RT). METHODS We retrospectively reviewed the records of 1063 patients (median age 63 years; range 3-93 years) who were treated in RT centers from March 2020 to March 2021. The study cohort was divided into two groups: Group A consisted of patients who received RT in the first 6 months and Group B comprised patients who received RT in the second 6 months. RESULTS The age distribution was similar in both groups. The analysis of the intent of treatment showed that 585 (55%) patients were treated with a radical intent in Group A, whereas only 478 (45%) were treated with a radical intent in Group B. Lung, breast, and genitourinary cancers were the most common cancer types in both periods. There was a significant decline in the number of female patients in Group B. Test results of 31 (2.9%) patients, 8 (25.8%) women and 23 (74.2%) men, who had nasopharyngeal swabs, were positive. CONCLUSION This study shows that oncology patients in our region are more worried about disease progression than the pandemic and insist on going to RT, especially during the first 6-month period when the pandemic was thought to be temporary. As a result of careful precautions, treatments in the clinics continued without contamination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVE The aim of this study is, therefore, to compare three different treatment modalities for symptomatic plantar fasciitis (PF), namely, effective in pain control. METHODS This study involved 205 patients with a diagnosis of painful PFs, treated during the years 2013 through 2017 at three institutions. Of these, 67 patients received a total dose of 6.0 Gy radiotherapy (RT in 3-weekly fractions of 1 Gy (RT arm); 65 patients received local steroid injection (SI) of 40 mg (1 ml) of methylprednisolone; and 0.5 ml of 1% lidocaine in the painful heel spur, using palpation (palpation guided) (PG SI arm) and 73 received extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT) in five sessions with weekly intervals (ESWT arm). Patients recorded visual analog scale (VAS) score, a modified Pannewitz score and a 5-level function score. Patients with available ≥12 months of data were included in the present study. RESULTS Follow-up data were available for patients with a median of 15.5 (range, 6.5-37.4) months. There was a significant improvement in VAS scores and 5-level function scores in the RT arm at 3 and 6 month period arm (p<0.001). In univariate and multivariate analyses, only treatment scheme was associated with considerable pain control (p=0.006). CONCLUSION These findings suggest that all treatment modalities provide significant pain relief in patients with painful heel spur. This analysis also demonstrates RT is superior choice for chronic PF in cases of failure with conservative treatments when compared to extracorporeal shock wave therapy and PG SI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]