2. MATERIALS AND METHODS
Data of HNC patients treated with RT at the Radiation Oncology
Department of the European Institute of Oncology IRCSS (Milan, Italy)
were reviewed. The considered time frame encompassed the early phase of
COVID-19 pandemic in Lombardy (1st March to
30th April 2020). The impact of the pandemic was
analyzed as: 1) dedicated Departmental procedures for HNC, 2) treatment
scheduling (i.e.: delays, interruptions), and 3) healthcare
professionals’ protection was analyzed. As the current report focuses on
outpatients treated with external beam RT, hospitalization and
brachytherapy-related procedures are not described. Medical records from
HNC patients were retrieved from electronic medical charts. This work
was approved by the Ethical Committee of the European Institute of
Oncology IRCSS (notification number IEO726). All patients signed a
written informed consent for clinical research purposes.