Back to (new) normality—A CODRAL/AIRO-L survey on cancer radiotherapy in Lombardy during Italian COVID-19 phase 2: Medical Oncology

B.A. Jereczek-Fossa; M. Pepa; G. Marvaso; J.L. Isaksson; C.P. Soatti; L.F. Cazzaniga; G.B. Ivaldi; M. Amadori; P. Antognoni; S. Arcangeli; A. Buffoli; G. Beltramo; M. Bignardi; S. Bracelli; L. Bruschieri; S. Castiglioni; G. Catalano; N. Di Muzio; C. Fallai; L. Fariselli; A.R. Filippi; A. Gramaglia; C. Italia; F. Lombardi; S.M. Magrini; S. Nava; E. Orlandi; N. Pasinetti; E.L. Sbicego; L. Scandolaro; M. Scorsetti; F. Stiglich; R. Tortini; R. Valdagni; V. Vavassori; S. Tonoli; M.F. Palazzi; on behalf of the CODRAL (Board of Directors of Radiation Oncology Departments in Lombardy) network and of AIRO-L (Italian Association of Radiotherapy and Clinical Oncology - Lombardy)

doi:10.1007/s12032-020-01434-1

Back to (new) normality—A CODRAL/AIRO-L survey on cancer radiotherapy in Lombardy during Italian COVID-19 phase 2: Medical Oncology

B.A. Jereczek-Fossa, M. Pepa, G. Marvaso, J.L. Isaksson, C.P. Soatti, L.F. Cazzaniga, G.B. Ivaldi, M. Amadori, P. Antognoni, S. Arcangeli, A. Buffoli, G. Beltramo, M. Bignardi, S. Bracelli, L. Bruschieri, S. Castiglioni, G. Catalano, N. Di Muzio, C. Fallai, L. FariselliA.R. Filippi, A. Gramaglia, C. Italia, F. Lombardi, S.M. Magrini, S. Nava, E. Orlandi, N. Pasinetti, E.L. Sbicego, L. Scandolaro, M. Scorsetti, F. Stiglich, R. Tortini, R. Valdagni, V. Vavassori, S. Tonoli, M.F. Palazzi, on behalf of the CODRAL (Board of Directors of Radiation Oncology Departments in Lombardy) network and of AIRO-L (Italian Association of Radiotherapy and Clinical Oncology - Lombardy)

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

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. © 2020, Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.

Original language	English
Journal	Med. Oncol.
Volume	37
Issue number	11
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1007/s12032-020-01434-1
Publication status	Published - 2020

Keywords

Cancer radiotherapy
COVID-19
Lombardy
Northern Italy
Survey
Article
cancer radiotherapy
control strategy
coronavirus disease 2019
emergency health service
follow up
health care facility
health care survey
health workforce
human
hypofractionated radiotherapy
infection prevention
Italy
nurse
occupational exposure
outpatient care
palliative therapy
pandemic
patient safety
priority journal
quarantine
radiation oncologist
radiation oncology
radiological technologist
radiology department
social distancing
teleconsultation
therapy delay
treatment duration
treatment interruption
virus transmission
Betacoronavirus
cancer center
clinical trial
Coronavirus infection
health care personnel
multicenter study
neoplasm
protective equipment
questionnaire
virus pneumonia
Coronavirus Infections
Health Personnel
Humans
Neoplasms
Oncology Service, Hospital
Pandemics
Personal Protective Equipment
Pneumonia, Viral
Surveys and Questionnaires

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10.1007/s12032-020-01434-1

https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85095121965&doi=10.1007%2fs12032-020-01434-1&partnerID=40&md5=12bc65d29e892501747cb38287565cba

Cite this

Jereczek-Fossa, B. A., Pepa, M., Marvaso, G., Isaksson, J. L., Soatti, C. P., Cazzaniga, L. F., Ivaldi, G. B., Amadori, M., Antognoni, P., Arcangeli, S., Buffoli, A., Beltramo, G., Bignardi, M., Bracelli, S., Bruschieri, L., Castiglioni, S., Catalano, G., Di Muzio, N., Fallai, C., ... Lombardy), O. B. O. T. CODRAL. N. A. O. AIRO-L. (2020). Back to (new) normality—A CODRAL/AIRO-L survey on cancer radiotherapy in Lombardy during Italian COVID-19 phase 2: Medical Oncology. Med. Oncol., 37(11). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12032-020-01434-1

Back to (new) normality—A CODRAL/AIRO-L survey on cancer radiotherapy in Lombardy during Italian COVID-19 phase 2 : Medical Oncology. / Jereczek-Fossa, B.A.; Pepa, M.; Marvaso, G.; Isaksson, J.L.; Soatti, C.P.; Cazzaniga, L.F.; Ivaldi, G.B.; Amadori, M.; Antognoni, P.; Arcangeli, S.; Buffoli, A.; Beltramo, G.; Bignardi, M.; Bracelli, S.; Bruschieri, L.; Castiglioni, S.; Catalano, G.; Di Muzio, N.; Fallai, C.; Fariselli, L.; Filippi, A.R.; Gramaglia, A.; Italia, C.; Lombardi, F.; Magrini, S.M.; Nava, S.; Orlandi, E.; Pasinetti, N.; Sbicego, E.L.; Scandolaro, L.; Scorsetti, M.; Stiglich, F.; Tortini, R.; Valdagni, R.; Vavassori, V.; Tonoli, S.; Palazzi, M.F.; Lombardy), on behalf of the CODRAL (Board of Directors of Radiation Oncology Departments in Lombardy) network and of AIRO-L (Italian Association of Radiotherapy and Clinical Oncology -.

In: Med. Oncol., Vol. 37, No. 11, 2020.

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Jereczek-Fossa, BA , Pepa, M , Marvaso, G , Isaksson, JL, Soatti, CP, Cazzaniga, LF, Ivaldi, GB, Amadori, M, Antognoni, P, Arcangeli, S, Buffoli, A, Beltramo, G, Bignardi, M, Bracelli, S, Bruschieri, L, Castiglioni, S, Catalano, G, Di Muzio, N , Fallai, C , Fariselli, L , Filippi, AR, Gramaglia, A, Italia, C, Lombardi, F, Magrini, SM, Nava, S, Orlandi, E, Pasinetti, N, Sbicego, EL, Scandolaro, L, Scorsetti, M, Stiglich, F, Tortini, R, Valdagni, R , Vavassori, V, Tonoli, S, Palazzi, MF & Lombardy), OBOTCODRALNAOAIRO-L 2020, 'Back to (new) normality—A CODRAL/AIRO-L survey on cancer radiotherapy in Lombardy during Italian COVID-19 phase 2: Medical Oncology', Med. Oncol., vol. 37, no. 11. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12032-020-01434-1

Jereczek-Fossa, B.A. ; Pepa, M. ; Marvaso, G. ; Isaksson, J.L. ; Soatti, C.P. ; Cazzaniga, L.F. ; Ivaldi, G.B. ; Amadori, M. ; Antognoni, P. ; Arcangeli, S. ; Buffoli, A. ; Beltramo, G. ; Bignardi, M. ; Bracelli, S. ; Bruschieri, L. ; Castiglioni, S. ; Catalano, G. ; Di Muzio, N. ; Fallai, C. ; Fariselli, L. ; Filippi, A.R. ; Gramaglia, A. ; Italia, C. ; Lombardi, F. ; Magrini, S.M. ; Nava, S. ; Orlandi, E. ; Pasinetti, N. ; Sbicego, E.L. ; Scandolaro, L. ; Scorsetti, M. ; Stiglich, F. ; Tortini, R. ; Valdagni, R. ; Vavassori, V. ; Tonoli, S. ; Palazzi, M.F. ; Lombardy), on behalf of the CODRAL (Board of Directors of Radiation Oncology Departments in Lombardy) network and of AIRO-L (Italian Association of Radiotherapy and Clinical Oncology -. / Back to (new) normality—A CODRAL/AIRO-L survey on cancer radiotherapy in Lombardy during Italian COVID-19 phase 2 : Medical Oncology. In: Med. Oncol. 2020 ; Vol. 37, No. 11.

@article{c225ae2815354422af6b19a3a18d9a9f,

title = "Back to (new) normality—A CODRAL/AIRO-L survey on cancer radiotherapy in Lombardy during Italian COVID-19 phase 2: Medical Oncology",

abstract = "Background: Italy experienced one of the world{\textquoteright}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. {\textcopyright} 2020, Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.",

keywords = "Cancer radiotherapy, COVID-19, Lombardy, Northern Italy, Survey, Article, cancer radiotherapy, control strategy, coronavirus disease 2019, emergency health service, follow up, health care facility, health care survey, health workforce, human, hypofractionated radiotherapy, infection prevention, Italy, nurse, occupational exposure, outpatient care, palliative therapy, pandemic, patient safety, priority journal, quarantine, radiation oncologist, radiation oncology, radiological technologist, radiology department, social distancing, teleconsultation, therapy delay, treatment duration, treatment interruption, virus transmission, Betacoronavirus, cancer center, clinical trial, Coronavirus infection, health care personnel, multicenter study, neoplasm, protective equipment, questionnaire, virus pneumonia, Coronavirus Infections, Health Personnel, Humans, Neoplasms, Oncology Service, Hospital, Pandemics, Personal Protective Equipment, Pneumonia, Viral, Surveys and Questionnaires",

author = "B.A. Jereczek-Fossa and M. Pepa and G. Marvaso and J.L. Isaksson and C.P. Soatti and L.F. Cazzaniga and G.B. Ivaldi and M. Amadori and P. Antognoni and S. Arcangeli and A. Buffoli and G. Beltramo and M. Bignardi and S. Bracelli and L. Bruschieri and S. Castiglioni and G. Catalano and {Di Muzio}, N. and C. Fallai and L. Fariselli and A.R. Filippi and A. Gramaglia and C. Italia and F. Lombardi and S.M. Magrini and S. Nava and E. Orlandi and N. Pasinetti and E.L. Sbicego and L. Scandolaro and M. Scorsetti and F. Stiglich and R. Tortini and R. Valdagni and V. Vavassori and S. Tonoli and M.F. Palazzi and Lombardy), {on behalf of the CODRAL (Board of Directors of Radiation Oncology Departments in Lombardy) network and of AIRO-L (Italian Association of Radiotherapy and Clinical Oncology -}",

note = "Export Date: 3 March 2021 CODEN: MONCE Correspondence Address: Pepa, M.; Division of Radiation Oncology, Via Ripamonti, Italy; email: matteo.pepa@ieo.it Funding details: 5 × 1000 Funding text 1: JLI is a Ph.D. student within the European School of Molecular Medicine (SEMM), Milan, Italy. The authors wish to thank Mattia Zaffaroni MSc for his contribute to this work. IEO, the Institution of Authors BAJF, MP, GM and JLI, was also partially supported by the Italian Ministry of Health with Ricerca Corrente and 5 × 1000 funds. Funding text 2: JLI is a Ph.D. student within the European School of Molecular Medicine (SEMM), Milan, Italy. The authors wish to thank Mattia Zaffaroni MSc for his contribute to this work. IEO, the Institution of Authors BAJF, MP, GM and JLI,?was also partially supported by the Italian Ministry of Health with Ricerca Corrente and 5 ? 1000 funds. References: Jereczek-Fossa, B.A., Pepa, M., Marvaso, G., COVID-19 outbreak and cancer radiotherapy disruption in Italy: Survey endorsed by the Italian Association of Radiotherapy and Clinical Oncology (AIRO) (2020) Radiother Oncol., 149, pp. 89-93; Jereczek-Fossa, B.A., Palazzi, M.F., Soatti, C.P., COVID-19 outbreak and cancer radiotherapy disruption in Lombardy, Northern Italy (2020) Clin Oncol. (R Coll Radiol), 32 (7), pp. e160-e161; Liang, W., Guan, W., Chen, R., Cancer patients in SARS-CoV-2 infection: a nationwide analysis in China (2020) Lancet Oncol., 21 (3), pp. 335-337; Dai, M., Liu, D., Liu, M., Patients with cancer appear more vulnerable to SARS-CoV-2: a multicenter study during the COVID-19 outbreak (2020) Cancer Discov., 10 (6), pp. 783-791; Mohindra, P., Buckey, C.R., Chen, S., Sio, T.T., Rong, Y., Radiation therapy considerations during the COVID-19 pandemic: literature review and expert opinions (2020) J Appl Clin Med Phys., 21 (5), pp. 6-12; Kumar, D., Dey, T., Treatment delays in oncology patients during COVID-19 pandemic: a perspective (2020) J Glob Health., 10 (1), p. 010367; Barton, M.B., Jacob, S., Shafiq, J., Estimating the demand for radiotherapy from the evidence: a review of changes from 2003 to 2012 (2014) Radiother Oncol., 112 (1), pp. 140-144; Zhang, D., Li, T., Wang, P., Experts consensus on epidemic prevention and control in radiotherapy centers during the COVID-19 outbreak: Experiences from Sichuan Province (2020) Clin Transl Radiat Oncol., 24, pp. 88-91; Documento Di Indirizzo per La Valutazione E La Gestione Del Rischio Dei Pazienti E Degli Operatori Nei Reparti Di Radioterapia Oncologica in Corso Di Diffusione Del COVID-19, , https://www.radioterapiaitalia.it/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/v-2-Documento-AIRO-COVID-19-24-03-2020.pdf, Accessed on July 24th, 2020; Initial Results of a Nationwide Physician Survey, 5/20/20., , https://www.astro.org/ASTRO/media/ASTRO/News%20and%20Publications/PDFs/ASTROCOVID19Survey1-ExecSummary.pdf, Accessed on July 24th, 2020; Slotman, B.J., Lievens, Y., Poortmans, P., Effect of COVID-19 pandemic on practice in European radiation oncology centers (2020) Radiother Oncol., 150, pp. 40-42; https://www.money.it/Proroga-stato-di-emergenza-31-gennaio-cosa-cambia, Accessed on October 15th 2020; Guckenberger, M., Belka, C., Bezjak, A., Practice recommendations for lung cancer radiotherapy during the COVID-19 Pandemic: an ESTRO-ASTRO consensus statement (2020) Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys., 107 (4), pp. 631-640; Liao, Z., Rivin Del Campo, E., Salem, A., Pang, Q., Liu, H., Lopez Guerra, J.L., Optimizing lung cancer radiation treatment worldwide in COVID-19 outbreak (2020) Lung Cancer, 146, pp. 230-235; Passaro, A., Addeo, A., Von Garnier, C., ESMO Management and treatment adapted recommendations in the COVID-19 era: Lung cancer (2020) ESMO Open, 5; Magrini, S.M., Borghetti, P., Filippi, A.R., Letter to the editor regarding ESTRO-ASTRO guidelines on lung cancer radiotherapy during COVID-19 pandemic (2020) Radiother Oncol., 147, pp. 229-230; Guckenberger, M., Belka, C., Bezjak, A., Practice recommendations for lung cancer radiotherapy during the COVID-19 pandemic: an ESTRO-ASTRO consensus statement (2020) Radiother Oncol., 146, pp. 223-229; Alterio, D., Volpe, S., Marvaso, G., Head and neck cancer radiotherapy amid COVID-19 pandemic: report from Milan, Italy (2020) Head Neck, 42 (7), pp. 1482-1490; Thomson, D.J., Palma, D., Guckenberger, M., Practice recommendations for risk-adapted head and neck cancer radiation therapy during the COVID-19 pandemic: an ASTRO-ESTRO consensus statement (2020) Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys., 107 (4), pp. 618-627; De Felice, F., Polimeni, A., Tombolini, V., The impact of Coronavirus (COVID-19) on head and neck cancer patients{\textquoteright} care (2020) Radiother Oncol., 147, pp. 84-85; Obek, C., Doganca, T., Argun, O.B., Kural, A.R., Management of prostate cancer patients during COVID-19 pandemic (2020) Prostate Cancer Prostatic Dis.; Coles, C.E., Aristei, C., Bliss, J., International guidelines on radiation therapy for breast cancer during the COVID-19 Pandemic (2020) Clin Oncol. (R Coll Radiol), 32 (5), pp. 279-281; de Azambuja, E., Trapani, D., Loibl, S., ESMO Management and treatment adapted recommendations in the COVID-19 era: breast cancer (2020) ESMO Open, 5; Han, K., Mendez, L., D{\textquoteright}Souza, D., Management of gynecologic cancer: choosing radiotherapy wisely by 3 Southern Ontario academic centers during the COVID-19 pandemic (2020) Radiother Oncol., 151, pp. 15-16; Siavashpour, Z., Taghizadeh-Hesary, F., Rakhsha, A., Recommendations on management of locally advanced rectal cancer during the COVID-19 pandemic: an Iranian consensus (2020) J Gastrointest Cancer.; Jones, C.M., Radhakrishna, G., Aitken, K., Considerations for the treatment of pancreatic cancer during the COVID-19 pandemic: the UK consensus position (2020) Br J Cancer.; Catanese, S., Pentheroudakis, G., Douillard, J.Y., Lordick, F., ESMO management and treatment adapted recommendations in the COVID-19 era: pancreatic cancer (2020) ESMO Open, 5; Tchelebi, L.T., Haustermans, K., Scorsetti, M., Recommendations for the use of radiation therapy in managing patients with gastrointestinal malignancies in the era of COVID-19 (2020) Radiother Oncol., 148, pp. 194-200; Vavassori, A., Tagliaferri, L., Vicenzi, L., Practical indications for management of patients candidate to Interventional and Intraoperative Radiotherapy (Brachytherapy, IORT) during COVID-19 pandemic—a document endorsed by AIRO (Italian Association of Radiotherapy and Clinical Oncology) Interventional Radiotherapy Working Group (2020) Radiother Oncol., 149, pp. 73-77; Wang, W., Hu, K., Qiu, J., Zhang, F., Radiotherapy after the easing of public restrictions during COVID-19 epidemic (2020) Radiat Oncol., 15 (1), p. 166; Portaluri, M., Barba, M.C., Musio, D., Tramacere, F., Pati, F., Bambace, S., Hypofractionation in COVID-19 radiotherapy: a mix of evidence based medicine and of opportunities (2020) Radiother Oncol., 150, pp. 191-194; Barra, S., Guarnieri, A., di Bastia, M.B.M.E., Short fractionation radiotherapy for early prostate cancer in the time of COVID-19: long-term excellent outcomes from a multicenter Italian trial suggest a larger adoption in clinical practice (2020) Radiol Med.; Faivre-Finn, C., Fenwick, J.D., Franks, K.N., Reduced fractionation in lung cancer patients treated with curative-intent radiotherapy during the COVID-19 pandemic (2020) Clin Oncol. (R Coll Radiol), 32 (8), pp. 481-489; Nagar, H., Formenti, S.C., Cancer and COVID-19 – potentially deleterious effects of delaying radiotherapy (2020) Nat Rev Clin Oncol., 17 (6), pp. 332-334",

year = "2020",

doi = "10.1007/s12032-020-01434-1",

language = "English",

volume = "37",

journal = "Med. Oncol.",

issn = "1357-0560",

publisher = "Springer",

number = "11",

}

TY - JOUR

T1 - Back to (new) normality—A CODRAL/AIRO-L survey on cancer radiotherapy in Lombardy during Italian COVID-19 phase 2

T2 - Medical Oncology

AU - Jereczek-Fossa, B.A.

AU - Pepa, M.

AU - Marvaso, G.

AU - Isaksson, J.L.

AU - Soatti, C.P.

AU - Cazzaniga, L.F.

AU - Ivaldi, G.B.

AU - Amadori, M.

AU - Antognoni, P.

AU - Arcangeli, S.

AU - Buffoli, A.

AU - Beltramo, G.

AU - Bignardi, M.

AU - Bracelli, S.

AU - Bruschieri, L.

AU - Castiglioni, S.

AU - Catalano, G.

AU - Di Muzio, N.

AU - Fallai, C.

AU - Fariselli, L.

AU - Filippi, A.R.

AU - Gramaglia, A.

AU - Italia, C.

AU - Lombardi, F.

AU - Magrini, S.M.

AU - Nava, S.

AU - Orlandi, E.

AU - Pasinetti, N.

AU - Sbicego, E.L.

AU - Scandolaro, L.

AU - Scorsetti, M.

AU - Stiglich, F.

AU - Tortini, R.

AU - Valdagni, R.

AU - Vavassori, V.

AU - Tonoli, S.

AU - Palazzi, M.F.

AU - Lombardy), on behalf of the CODRAL (Board of Directors of Radiation Oncology Departments in Lombardy) network and of AIRO-L (Italian Association of Radiotherapy and Clinical Oncology -

N1 - Export Date: 3 March 2021 CODEN: MONCE Correspondence Address: Pepa, M.; Division of Radiation Oncology, Via Ripamonti, Italy; email: matteo.pepa@ieo.it Funding details: 5 × 1000 Funding text 1: JLI is a Ph.D. student within the European School of Molecular Medicine (SEMM), Milan, Italy. The authors wish to thank Mattia Zaffaroni MSc for his contribute to this work. IEO, the Institution of Authors BAJF, MP, GM and JLI, was also partially supported by the Italian Ministry of Health with Ricerca Corrente and 5 × 1000 funds. Funding text 2: JLI is a Ph.D. student within the European School of Molecular Medicine (SEMM), Milan, Italy. The authors wish to thank Mattia Zaffaroni MSc for his contribute to this work. IEO, the Institution of Authors BAJF, MP, GM and JLI,?was also partially supported by the Italian Ministry of Health with Ricerca Corrente and 5 ? 1000 funds. References: Jereczek-Fossa, B.A., Pepa, M., Marvaso, G., COVID-19 outbreak and cancer radiotherapy disruption in Italy: Survey endorsed by the Italian Association of Radiotherapy and Clinical Oncology (AIRO) (2020) Radiother Oncol., 149, pp. 89-93; Jereczek-Fossa, B.A., Palazzi, M.F., Soatti, C.P., COVID-19 outbreak and cancer radiotherapy disruption in Lombardy, Northern Italy (2020) Clin Oncol. (R Coll Radiol), 32 (7), pp. e160-e161; Liang, W., Guan, W., Chen, R., Cancer patients in SARS-CoV-2 infection: a nationwide analysis in China (2020) Lancet Oncol., 21 (3), pp. 335-337; Dai, M., Liu, D., Liu, M., Patients with cancer appear more vulnerable to SARS-CoV-2: a multicenter study during the COVID-19 outbreak (2020) Cancer Discov., 10 (6), pp. 783-791; Mohindra, P., Buckey, C.R., Chen, S., Sio, T.T., Rong, Y., Radiation therapy considerations during the COVID-19 pandemic: literature review and expert opinions (2020) J Appl Clin Med Phys., 21 (5), pp. 6-12; Kumar, D., Dey, T., Treatment delays in oncology patients during COVID-19 pandemic: a perspective (2020) J Glob Health., 10 (1), p. 010367; Barton, M.B., Jacob, S., Shafiq, J., Estimating the demand for radiotherapy from the evidence: a review of changes from 2003 to 2012 (2014) Radiother Oncol., 112 (1), pp. 140-144; Zhang, D., Li, T., Wang, P., Experts consensus on epidemic prevention and control in radiotherapy centers during the COVID-19 outbreak: Experiences from Sichuan Province (2020) Clin Transl Radiat Oncol., 24, pp. 88-91; Documento Di Indirizzo per La Valutazione E La Gestione Del Rischio Dei Pazienti E Degli Operatori Nei Reparti Di Radioterapia Oncologica in Corso Di Diffusione Del COVID-19, , https://www.radioterapiaitalia.it/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/v-2-Documento-AIRO-COVID-19-24-03-2020.pdf, Accessed on July 24th, 2020; Initial Results of a Nationwide Physician Survey, 5/20/20., , https://www.astro.org/ASTRO/media/ASTRO/News%20and%20Publications/PDFs/ASTROCOVID19Survey1-ExecSummary.pdf, Accessed on July 24th, 2020; Slotman, B.J., Lievens, Y., Poortmans, P., Effect of COVID-19 pandemic on practice in European radiation oncology centers (2020) Radiother Oncol., 150, pp. 40-42; https://www.money.it/Proroga-stato-di-emergenza-31-gennaio-cosa-cambia, Accessed on October 15th 2020; Guckenberger, M., Belka, C., Bezjak, A., Practice recommendations for lung cancer radiotherapy during the COVID-19 Pandemic: an ESTRO-ASTRO consensus statement (2020) Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys., 107 (4), pp. 631-640; Liao, Z., Rivin Del Campo, E., Salem, A., Pang, Q., Liu, H., Lopez Guerra, J.L., Optimizing lung cancer radiation treatment worldwide in COVID-19 outbreak (2020) Lung Cancer, 146, pp. 230-235; Passaro, A., Addeo, A., Von Garnier, C., ESMO Management and treatment adapted recommendations in the COVID-19 era: Lung cancer (2020) ESMO Open, 5; Magrini, S.M., Borghetti, P., Filippi, A.R., Letter to the editor regarding ESTRO-ASTRO guidelines on lung cancer radiotherapy during COVID-19 pandemic (2020) Radiother Oncol., 147, pp. 229-230; Guckenberger, M., Belka, C., Bezjak, A., Practice recommendations for lung cancer radiotherapy during the COVID-19 pandemic: an ESTRO-ASTRO consensus statement (2020) Radiother Oncol., 146, pp. 223-229; Alterio, D., Volpe, S., Marvaso, G., Head and neck cancer radiotherapy amid COVID-19 pandemic: report from Milan, Italy (2020) Head Neck, 42 (7), pp. 1482-1490; Thomson, D.J., Palma, D., Guckenberger, M., Practice recommendations for risk-adapted head and neck cancer radiation therapy during the COVID-19 pandemic: an ASTRO-ESTRO consensus statement (2020) Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys., 107 (4), pp. 618-627; De Felice, F., Polimeni, A., Tombolini, V., The impact of Coronavirus (COVID-19) on head and neck cancer patients’ care (2020) Radiother Oncol., 147, pp. 84-85; Obek, C., Doganca, T., Argun, O.B., Kural, A.R., Management of prostate cancer patients during COVID-19 pandemic (2020) Prostate Cancer Prostatic Dis.; Coles, C.E., Aristei, C., Bliss, J., International guidelines on radiation therapy for breast cancer during the COVID-19 Pandemic (2020) Clin Oncol. 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PY - 2020

Y1 - 2020

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. © 2020, Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.

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. © 2020, Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.

KW - Cancer radiotherapy

KW - COVID-19

KW - Lombardy

KW - Northern Italy

KW - Survey

KW - Article

KW - cancer radiotherapy

KW - control strategy

KW - coronavirus disease 2019

KW - emergency health service

KW - follow up

KW - health care facility

KW - health care survey

KW - health workforce

KW - human

KW - hypofractionated radiotherapy

KW - infection prevention

KW - Italy

KW - nurse

KW - occupational exposure

KW - outpatient care

KW - palliative therapy

KW - pandemic

KW - patient safety

KW - priority journal

KW - quarantine

KW - radiation oncologist

KW - radiation oncology

KW - radiological technologist

KW - radiology department

KW - social distancing

KW - teleconsultation

KW - therapy delay

KW - treatment duration

KW - treatment interruption

KW - virus transmission

KW - Betacoronavirus

KW - cancer center

KW - clinical trial

KW - Coronavirus infection

KW - health care personnel

KW - multicenter study

KW - neoplasm

KW - protective equipment

KW - questionnaire

KW - virus pneumonia

KW - Coronavirus Infections

KW - Health Personnel

KW - Humans

KW - Neoplasms

KW - Oncology Service, Hospital

KW - Pandemics

KW - Personal Protective Equipment

KW - Pneumonia, Viral

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 -

Back to (new) normality—A CODRAL/AIRO-L survey on cancer radiotherapy in Lombardy during Italian COVID-19 phase 2: Medical Oncology

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