Radiotherapy in Italy after Conservative Treatment of Early Breast Cancer. A Survey by the Italian Society of Radiation Oncology (AIRO)

Abstract

Although the quality of radiotherapy delivery has improved in Italy in recent years, approaches that do not conform to international standards persist.

Patterns of radiotherapy practice for pancreatic cancer: Results of the Gastrointestinal Radiation Oncology Study Group multi-institutional survey

“…In comparison with other RO surveys conducted in Italy in 2012 (lung cancer) and 2008 (breast and head/neck cancer), the number of responding centres was encouraging, being 45, 48 and 50%, as reported by Ramella et al (8), Aristei et al (9) and Frata et al (10), respectively. This finding reveals an increased sense of membership of radiation oncologists in the RO community and a willingness to deepen their knowledge of the Italian reality in order to improve the quality of their investigation.…”

“…A main drawback of the present study was the number of responding centres that, although higher than in previous surveys (8)(9)(10), limited the analysis. Moreover, we cannot deny heterogeneity in our analysis due to different interpretations of survey queries.…”

“…Evidence suggests gemcitabine-oxaliplatin followed by gemcitabine alone were the most employed nCT schedules, administered mostly by 3-4 scheduled cycles (range, [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12] prior to RT (15). The drug most used for radiosensitizing was gemcitabine (63.4%), followed by 5-fluorouracil/capecitabine (26.8%).…”

“…The schedules most frequently used were gemcitabine-oxaliplatin (45%), gemcitabine alone (32.5%) or 5-fluorouracil-irinotecan-oxaliplatin (i.e., folfirinox) (12.5%) mostly with 3 or 4 cycles prior to RT (range, [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12].…”

Factors affecting access to treatment of early breast cancer: Case studies from Brazil, Canada, Italy, Spain and UK: Implications for future research, policy and practice

“…However, our interviewees reported that although the guidelines do not dictate what is covered and reimbursed by the national healthcare system, it is easier for hospitals to get reimbursement for procedures and pharmaceuticals when they conform to national guidelines (INT14). Studies suggest that adherence to guidelines varies, with underuse of chemotherapy, radiotherapy and hormonal therapy being evident (Aristei et al 2008;Sacerdote et al 2013).…”