1
|
Jereczek-Fossa BA, Palazzi MF, Tonoli S, Zaffaroni M, Marvaso G, Ivaldi GB, Amadori M, Antognoni P, Arcangeli S, Buffoli A, Beltramo G, Bignardi M, Bracelli S, De Stefani A, Castiglioni S, Catalano G, Di Muzio N, Cerrotta A, Fariselli L, Filippi AR, Gramaglia A, Italia C, Massaro P, Magrini SM, Nava S, Orlandi E, Pasinetti N, Sbicego EL, Scandolaro L, Scorsetti M, Barbonetti C, Tortini R, Valdagni R, Vavassori V, Pepa M, Cazzaniga LF, Soatti CP. Almost one year of COVID-19 pandemic: how radiotherapy centers have counteracted its impact on cancer treatment in Lombardy, Italy. CODRAL/ AIRO-L study. Tumori 2021; 108:177-181. [PMID: 33885350 DOI: 10.1177/03008916211009974] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Lombardy has represented the Italian and European epicenter of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Although most clinical efforts within hospitals were diverted towards the care of virally infected patients, therapies for patients with cancer, including radiotherapy (RT), have continued. During both the first and second pandemic waves, several national and regional organizations provided Italian and Lombardian RT departments with detailed guidelines aimed at ensuring safe treatments during the pandemic. The spread of infection among patients and personnel was limited by adopting strict measures, including triage procedures, interpersonal distance, and adequate implementation of personal protective equipment (PPE). Screening procedures addressed to both the healthcare workforce and patients, such as periodic nasopharyngeal swabs, have allowed the early identification of asymptomatic or pauci-symptomatic COVID-19 cases, thus reducing the spread of the infection. Prevention of infection was deemed of paramount importance to protect both patients and personnel and to ensure the availability of a minimum number of staff members to maintain clinical activity. The choice of treating COVID-19-positive patients has represented a matter of debate, and the risk of oncologic progression has been weighted against the risk of infection of personnel and other patients. Such risk was minimized by creating dedicated paths, reserving time slots, applying intensified cleaning procedures, and supplying personnel and staff with appropriate PPE. Remote working of research staff, medical physicists, and, in some cases, radiation oncologists has prevented overcrowding of shared spaces, reducing infection spread.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Barbara Alicja Jereczek-Fossa
- Division of Radiation Oncology, IEO, European Institute of Oncology, IRCCS, Milano, Italy.,Department of Oncology and Hemato-Oncology, University of Milan, Milano, Italy
| | | | - Sandro Tonoli
- Radiation Oncology Centre, ASST Cremona, Cremona, Lombardia, Italy
| | - Mattia Zaffaroni
- Division of Radiation Oncology, IEO, European Institute of Oncology, IRCCS, Milano, Italy
| | - Giulia Marvaso
- Division of Radiation Oncology, IEO, European Institute of Oncology, IRCCS, Milano, Italy.,Department of Oncology and Hemato-Oncology, University of Milan, Milano, Italy
| | | | | | - Paolo Antognoni
- Radiation Oncology Centre, Ospedale di Circolo e Fondazione Macchi, ASST dei Sette Laghi, Varese, Italy
| | - Stefano Arcangeli
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Ospedale S. Gerardo and University of Milan Bicocca, Monza, Italy
| | - Alberto Buffoli
- Radiation Oncology Centre, Istituto Clinico S. Anna, Brescia, Italy
| | - Giancarlo Beltramo
- Radiation Oncology Centre, Centro Diagnostico Italiano (CDI), Milano, Italy
| | - Mario Bignardi
- Radiation Oncology Centre, Fondazione Poliambulanza, Brescia, Italy
| | | | - Agostina De Stefani
- Division of Radiation Oncology, Ospedale di Treviglio, Caravaggio di Treviglio, Italy
| | | | - Gianpiero Catalano
- Radiation Oncology Centre, IRCCS Multimedica, Sesto San Giovanni/Castellanza, Italy
| | - Nadia Di Muzio
- Radiation Oncology Centre, IRCCS Ospedale S. Raffaele and University Vita Salute, Milano, Italy
| | - Annamaria Cerrotta
- Division of Radiation Oncology, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale Tumori, Milano, Italy
| | - Laura Fariselli
- Radiotherapy Unit, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Milano, Italy
| | - Andrea Riccardo Filippi
- Division of Radiotherapy, Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo and University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
| | | | - Corrado Italia
- Radiation Oncology Centre, Istituti Ospedalieri Bergamaschi, Ponte S. Pietro-Zingonia, Italy
| | - Patrizia Massaro
- Radiotherapy Unit, IRCCS Policlinico San Donato, San Donato Milanese, Italy
| | - Stefano Maria Magrini
- Radiation Oncology Centre, Brescia University Radiation Oncology Department, O. Alberti Radium Institute, Spedali Civili Hospital, Brescia, Italy
| | - Simonetta Nava
- Radiation Oncology Centre, Istituti Clinici di Pavia e Vigevano, Vigevano, Italy
| | - Ester Orlandi
- Radiation Oncology Unit, Clinical Department, National Centre for Oncological Hadrontherapy, Fondazione CNAO, Pavia, Italy
| | - Nadia Pasinetti
- Radiation Oncology Department, Esine and University of Brescia, Esine, Italy
| | - Elena Lara Sbicego
- Radiation Oncology Centre, Istituto Clinico Sant'Ambrogio, Milano, Italy
| | - Luciano Scandolaro
- Radiation Oncology Centre, Ospedale Sant'Anna, ASST Lariana, Como, Italy
| | - Marta Scorsetti
- IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, Radiotherapy and Radiosurgery Center, Rozzano, Milan, Italy.,Department of Biomedical Sciences, Humanitas University, Pieve Emanuele, Milan, Italy
| | - Claudio Barbonetti
- Radiation Oncology Centre, Ospedale di Sondrio, ASST Valtellina e Alto Lario, Sondrio, Italy
| | - Roberto Tortini
- Ospedale di Casalpusterlengo, Azienda Ospedaliera della Provincia di Lodi, Casalpusterlengo, Italy
| | - Riccardo Valdagni
- Department of Oncology and Hemato-Oncology, University of Milan, Milano, Italy.,Division of Radiation Oncology, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale Tumori, Milano, Italy
| | | | - Matteo Pepa
- Division of Radiation Oncology, IEO, European Institute of Oncology, IRCCS, Milano, Italy
| | | | | |
Collapse
|