How young patients with cancer perceive the Covid-19 (coronavirus) epidemic in Milan, Italy: is there room for other fears?

The rapid spread of COVID-19 epidemic in Italy, in particular in the Milan focal point, required drastic measures and led to panic in the population. While in our centre we did not change our approach to the treatment of our young cancer patients, we developed a qualitative survey to assess their perception of the risk and level of stress. The survey showed that a relatively large proportion of them felt personally at risk of severe complications. We believe that we need to adequately inform our patients, focusing on hygienic measures and personal protection and prompt reporting of any suspicious symptoms. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Pediatric blood & cancer. 2020 Apr 02 [Epub ahead of print]

Michela Casanova, Elena Pagani Bagliacca, Matteo Silva, Carlo Patriarca, Laura Veneroni, Carlo Alfredo Clerici, Filippo Spreafico, Roberto Luksch, Monica Terenziani, Cristina Meazza, Marta Podda, Veronica Biassoni, Elisabetta Schiavello, Stefano Chiaravalli, Nadia Puma, Luca Bergamaschi, Giovanna Gattuso, Giovanna Sironi, Maura Massimino, Andrea Ferrari

Pediatric Oncology Unit, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori, Milan., Pathology Unit, St Anna Hospital (ASST Lariana), Como, Italy., Department of Oncology and Hemato-Oncology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Milan.