How we provided appropriate breast imaging practices in the epicentre of the COVID-19 outbreak in Italy.

Filippo Pesapane,Chiara Trentin,Enrico Cassano,Antuono Latronico,Mariagiorgia Farina,Silvia Penco,Valeria Dominelli,Francesca Priolo,Lorenza Meneghetti,Maria Pizzamiglio,Irene Marinucci,Luca Nicosia,Francesca Abbate,Anna Rotili,Stefano Meroni,Anna Bozzini

doi:10.1259/bjr.20200679

Filippo Pesapane, Chiara Trentin + Show 14 more

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https://doi.org/10.1259/bjr.20200679

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Abstract

Italy has one of the highest COVID-19 clinical burdens in the world and Lombardy region accounts for more than half of the deaths of the country. Since COVID-19 is a novel disease, early impactful decisions are often based on experience of referral centres.We report the re-organisation which our institute (IEO, European Institute of Oncology), a cancer referral centre in Lombardy, went through to make our breast-imaging division pandemic-proof. Using personal-protective-equipment and innovative protocols, we provided essential breast-imaging procedures during COVID-19 pandemic without compromising cancer outcomes.The emergency management and infection-control-measures implemented in our division protected both the patients and the staff, making this experience useful for other radiology departments dealing with the pandemic.

Highlights

Since the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus2 (SARS-C oV-2) was first identified in Wuhan (Huebei Province, China) in December 2019,1 it has spread globally resulting in the ongoing coronavirus pandemic
We reported a decrease of 68% of both mammography and ultrasound and of 52% of breast MRI (Figure 1)
With the reconfiguration of our breast-imaging division in a cancer referral centre located in one of the most important outbreak of COVID-19 in the world, we offer a roadmap for proceeding and we aim to mobilise the global research community to generate the data that are critically needed to offer the best possible care to breast cancer patients in this pandemic and during potential future emergencies of this kind

Summary

Introduction

Since the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus2 (SARS-C oV-2) was first identified in Wuhan (Huebei Province, China) in December 2019,1 it has spread globally resulting in the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. 2020, more than 6.38 million cases of patients with such novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) had been reported in more than 188 countries and territories, resulting in more than 380,000 deaths and more than 2.73 million hospitalisation.[2] Until 3 June 2020, Italy had currently 39,893 active cases, one of the highest in the world.[2] Overall, at the time of writing, there have been 233,515 confirmed cases and 33,530 deaths (a rate of 555 deaths per million population).[3]. Mi) with 10 million people, is the most populous, the richest and most productive region in the country and one of the top regions in Europe under the same criteria,[5] and has 89,205 confirmed cases and 16,145 deaths of COVID- An area of 23,844 square kilometres (9,206 sq. mi) with 10 million people, is the most populous, the richest and most productive region in the country and one of the top regions in Europe under the same criteria,[5] and has 89,205 confirmed cases and 16,145 deaths of COVID-

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