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Observational Study
. 2020 Jun;34(3 Suppl):1667-1673.
doi: 10.21873/invivo.11959.

Breast Cancer Surgery During the COVID-19 Pandemic: An Observational Clinical Study of the Breast Surgery Clinic at Ospedale Policlinico San Martino - Genoa, Italy

Piero Fregatti  1   2 , Marco Gipponi  3 , Maria Giacchino  1 , Marco Sparavigna  1 , Federica Murelli  1   2 , Maria Luisa Toni  4 , Maria Teresa Calabrò  4 , Lina Orsino  4 , Daniele Friedman  1   2
Affiliations
Observational Study

Breast Cancer Surgery During the COVID-19 Pandemic: An Observational Clinical Study of the Breast Surgery Clinic at Ospedale Policlinico San Martino - Genoa, Italy

Piero Fregatti et al. In Vivo. 2020 Jun.

Abstract

Background: COVID-19 pandemic required a marked re-allocation of healthcare resources, including at Breast Units. A patient-tailored program was developed to assess its efficacy regarding prevention of COVID-19 infection among patients with breast cancer undergoing surgery and healthcare workers (HCWs).

Patients and methods: From March 9th to April 9th 2020, 91 patients were selected for elective surgery by means of: i) Pre-hospital screening aimed at avoiding hospitalization of symptomatic or suspicious COVID-19 patients, and ii) prioritisation of surgical procedure according to specific disease features.

Results: Eighty-five patients (93.4%) were fit for surgery, while five patients (5.5%) were temporarily excluded through 'telephone triage'; another two patients were excluded at in-hospital triage. A total of 71 out of 85 patients (83.5%) were diagnosed with invasive cancer, most of whom were undergoing breast-conserving surgery (61 out of 85 patients, 71.8%). The mean in-hospital stay was 2.2 days (SD=0.7 days). After hospital discharge, no patient needed re-admission due to post-operative complications; moreover, no COVID-19 infection among patients or HCWs was detected.

Conclusion: Safe breast cancer surgery was accomplished for both patients and HCWs by means of a careful preoperative selection of patients and in-hospital preventative measures. This screening program can be transferred to high-volume Breast Units and it may be useful in implementing European Community recommendations for prevention of COVID-19 infection.

Keywords: COVID-19; breast cancer; clinical management.

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Conflict of interest statement

This study received no grant and all Authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Flowchart outlining pre-hospitalization, in-hospital, and post-hospital procedures.
Figure 2
Figure 2. Flowchart of triage-based selection of patients.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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