Management of Patients Undergoing Radiation Treatment for Head and Neck Cancer During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Clinical Guidelines and Perspectives

The COVID-19 pandemic has created challenges in providing health care throughout the United States. Despite limitations in in-person clinical care aimed at reducing transmission risk and preserving personal protective equipment, patients with head and neck cancer continue to undergo radiationbased treatment, resulting in the need for adapted care pathways. Speech-language pathologists play an instrumental role in the care of patients undergoing head and neck radiation prior to, during, and following the conclusion of treatment. To address the ad hoc need for guidance on speech-language pathologists management of patients with head and neck cancer during the pandemic, the California Head and Neck Consortium constructed recommendations for best practices before, during, and after chemoradiation therapy, based on the combined experience of several academic medical centers. These guidelines aim to provide a model that maintains high quality of care while minimizing risk of viral exposure to patients and clinicians.