Recommendations for triage, prioritization and treatment of breast cancer patients during the COVID-19 pandemic

Giuseppe Curigliano; Maria Joao Cardoso; Philip Poortmans; Oreste Gentilini; Gabriella Pravettoni; Ketti Mazzocco; Nehmat Houssami; Olivia Pagani; Elzbieta Senkus; Fatima Cardoso; editorial board of The Breast

doi:10.1016/j.breast.2020.04.006

Recommendations for triage, prioritization and treatment of breast cancer patients during the COVID-19 pandemic

Breast. 2020 Aug:52:8-16. doi: 10.1016/j.breast.2020.04.006. Epub 2020 Apr 16.

Affiliations

¹ Istituto Europeo di Oncologia, IRCCS, Department of Early Drug Development, Italy; University of Milano, Milano, Italy. Electronic address: giuseppe.curigliano@ieo.it.
² Breast Unit, Champalimaud Clinical Centre/Champalimaud Foundation, Portugal; Nova Medical School, Lisbon, Portugal.
³ Iridium Kankernetwerk, Department of Radiation Oncology, Wilrijk-Antwerp, Belgium; University of Antwerp, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Wilrijk-Antwerp, Belgium.
⁴ Breast Surgery, San Raffaele University and Research Hospital, Milano, Italy.
⁵ Istituto Europeo di Oncologia, IRCCS, Department of Early Drug Development, Italy; University of Milano, Milano, Italy.
⁶ Faculty of Medicine and Health, Sydney School of Public Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
⁷ Service Interdisciplinaire de Cancérologie, Hopital Riviera-Chablais, Rennaz, Vaud, Geneva University Hospitals, Swiss Group for Clinical Cancer Research (SAKK), Switzerland.
⁸ Medical University of Gdansk, Gdansk, Poland.
⁹ Breast Unit, Champalimaud Clinical Centre/Champalimaud Foundation, Portugal.

Abstract

The Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) associated disease (COVID-19) outbreak seriously challenges globally all health care systems and professionals. Expert projections estimate that despite social distancing and lockdown being practiced, we have yet to feel the full impact of COVID-19. In this manuscript we provide guidance to prepare for the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on breast cancer patients and advise on how to triage, prioritize and organize diagnostic procedures, surgical, radiation and medical treatments.

MeSH terms

Betacoronavirus
Breast Neoplasms / therapy*
COVID-19
Coronavirus Infections / epidemiology*
Delivery of Health Care / methods*
Humans
Oncology Service, Hospital
Pandemics
Pneumonia, Viral / epidemiology*
Practice Guidelines as Topic*
Risk Assessment
SARS-CoV-2
Triage / methods*