TY - JOUR
T1 - Back to (new) normality-A CODRAL/AIRO-L survey on cancer radiotherapy in Lombardy during Italian COVID-19 phase 2
AU - Jereczek-Fossa, Barbara Alicja
AU - Pepa, Matteo
AU - Marvaso, Giulia
AU - Isaksson, Johannes Lars
AU - Soatti, Carlo Pietro
AU - Cazzaniga, Luigi Franco
AU - Ivaldi, Giovanni Battista
AU - Amadori, Marcello
AU - Antognoni, Paolo
AU - Arcangeli, Stefano
AU - Buffoli, Alberto
AU - Beltramo, Giancarlo
AU - Bignardi, Mario
AU - Bracelli, Stefano
AU - Bruschieri, Lorenza
AU - Castiglioni, Simona
AU - Catalano, Gianpiero
AU - Di Muzio, Nadia
AU - Fallai, Carlo
AU - Fariselli, Laura
AU - Filippi, Andrea Riccardo
AU - Gramaglia, Alberto
AU - Italia, Corrado
AU - Lombardi, Fabrizio
AU - Magrini, Stefano Maria
AU - Nava, Simonetta
AU - Orlandi, Ester
AU - Pasinetti, Nadia
AU - Sbicego, Elena Lara
AU - Scandolaro, Luciano
AU - Scorsetti, Marta
AU - Stiglich, Francesco
AU - Tortini, Roberto
AU - Valdagni, Riccardo
AU - Vavassori, Vittorio
AU - Tonoli, Sandro
AU - Palazzi, Mauro Filippo
PY - 2020/11/4
Y1 - 2020/11/4
N2 - BACKGROUND: Italy experienced one of the world's severest COVID-19 outbreak, with Lombardy being the most afflicted region. However, the imposed safety measures allowed to flatten the epidemic curve and hence to ease the restrictions and inaugurate, on the 4th of May 2020, the Italian phase (P) 2 of the pandemic. The present survey study, endorsed by CODRAL and AIRO-L, aimed to assess how radiotherapy (RT) departments in Lombardy have dealt with the recovery.MATERIALS AND METHODS: A questionnaire dealing with the management of pandemic was developed online and sent to all CODRAL Directors on the 10th of June 2020. Answers were collected in full anonymity one week after.RESULTS: All the 33 contacted RT facilities (100%) responded to the survey. Despite the scale of the pandemic, during P1 14 (42.4%) centres managed to safely continue the activity (≤ 10% reduction). During P2, 10 (30.3%) centres fully recovered and 14 (42.4%) reported an increase. Nonetheless, 6 (18.2%) declared no changes and, interestingly, 3 (9.1%) reduced activities. Overall, 21 centres (63.6%) reported suspected or positive cases within healthcare workforce since the beginning of the pandemic. Staff units were quarantined in 19 (57.6%) and 6 (18.2%) centres throughout P1 and P2, respectively. In the two phases, about two thirds centres registered positive or suspected cases amongst patients.CONCLUSION: The study revealed a particular attention to anti-contagion measures and a return to normal or even higher clinical workload in most RT centres in Lombardy, necessary to carry out current and previously deferred treatments.
AB - BACKGROUND: Italy experienced one of the world's severest COVID-19 outbreak, with Lombardy being the most afflicted region. However, the imposed safety measures allowed to flatten the epidemic curve and hence to ease the restrictions and inaugurate, on the 4th of May 2020, the Italian phase (P) 2 of the pandemic. The present survey study, endorsed by CODRAL and AIRO-L, aimed to assess how radiotherapy (RT) departments in Lombardy have dealt with the recovery.MATERIALS AND METHODS: A questionnaire dealing with the management of pandemic was developed online and sent to all CODRAL Directors on the 10th of June 2020. Answers were collected in full anonymity one week after.RESULTS: All the 33 contacted RT facilities (100%) responded to the survey. Despite the scale of the pandemic, during P1 14 (42.4%) centres managed to safely continue the activity (≤ 10% reduction). During P2, 10 (30.3%) centres fully recovered and 14 (42.4%) reported an increase. Nonetheless, 6 (18.2%) declared no changes and, interestingly, 3 (9.1%) reduced activities. Overall, 21 centres (63.6%) reported suspected or positive cases within healthcare workforce since the beginning of the pandemic. Staff units were quarantined in 19 (57.6%) and 6 (18.2%) centres throughout P1 and P2, respectively. In the two phases, about two thirds centres registered positive or suspected cases amongst patients.CONCLUSION: The study revealed a particular attention to anti-contagion measures and a return to normal or even higher clinical workload in most RT centres in Lombardy, necessary to carry out current and previously deferred treatments.
KW - Betacoronavirus
KW - Coronavirus Infections/epidemiology
KW - Health Personnel/trends
KW - Humans
KW - Italy/epidemiology
KW - Neoplasms/epidemiology
KW - Oncology Service, Hospital/trends
KW - Pandemics
KW - Personal Protective Equipment/trends
KW - Pneumonia, Viral/epidemiology
KW - Surveys and Questionnaires
U2 - 10.1007/s12032-020-01434-1
DO - 10.1007/s12032-020-01434-1
M3 - Article
VL - 37
JO - Med. Oncol.
JF - Med. Oncol.
SN - 1357-0560
IS - 11
ER -