\"Ariadne\'s thread\" is a psycho-educational intervention designed by the Breast Unit and the Clinical Psychology Unit of an Italian Comprehensive Cancer Center and aims to promote empowerment in patients with metastatic breast cancer. It consists of 8 online meetings led by a psycho-oncologist in which informative sessions by patients\' referring physicians alternate with moments of stress management techniques. This study aims to investigate (1) the feasibility of the \"Ariadne\'s thread\" pilot intervention and (2) the satisfaction and perceived benefits of the pilot intervention. We used a mixed method approach in which (1) it was detected: the number of acceptance to the single session of the intervention by both patients and professionals, the number of help requests by patients, and the number of change of date requests by professionals; (2) semi-structured interviews were conducted with the professionals who participated in the intervention; (3) 2 focus groups were conducted with patients, and (4) a questionnaire was submitted to each of them. The intervention is sustainable from the perspective of the organization, professionals, and patients. In particular, the patients declared perceiving benefits in many aspects: improved relationships with doctors, acceptance of their illness, learning of a relaxation technique, possibility to look at the world with trust and hope, etc. The questionnaires show an improvement in empowerment and satisfaction as a result of the intervention. \"Ariadne\'s thread\" is a psycho-educational intervention that effectively addresses the needs of patients with MBC. It can be applied to other contexts (1) if it has been confirmed that similar needs exist or (2) if it can be modified to accommodate other needs.

Background: The management of early breast cancer (BC) needs supervision and skill maintenance, and should be performed by specialists working as a team in multidisciplinary breast units. This approach aims to improve the long-term survival and quality of life of patients with BC. Methods: This was a prospective observational study including patients newly diagnosed with operable BC. The study encompassed the pre-surgical phase, throughout the diagnostic and surgical workout, and included post-therapeutic master multidisciplinary team meetings (MTMs) sessions, between 2019 and 2022. Results: We enrolled 280 patients with BC from eight breast units. The Senonetwork indicators regarding diagnosis, waiting time, loco-regional treatment, and adjuvant therapy were collected for each patient discussed. Conclusions: Overall, the majority of quality indicators were respected among breast units. The most critical issue referred to timing indicators: more than 30 days from MTM to surgery, more than 42 days from diagnosis to surgery, and more than 60 days from the first screening mammogram to surgery for many patients. Some aspects of the histopathological diagnosis of intraductal BC also need to be improved. Furthermore, other critical issues in our study regarded some aesthetical indicators, demonstrating low interest in these essential quality indicators.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the adherence of a nursing care model in a multidisciplinary breast cancer unit in a tertiary hospital to the recommended competencies and quality indicators.
BACKGROUND: Aligning the competencies of the breast care nurse with international recommendations for this role helps better fulfil patient needs, increases satisfaction and ensures continuity of care.
METHODS: Cohort study.
METHODS: Breast care nursing was assessed in all patients treated at the Functional Breast Unit from 1 July 2016 to 30 June 2017. Patients were followed for 1 year. Sociodemographic, clinical and pathological data, treatments performed and nursing interventions were collected. The strobe checklist has been used to report this study.
RESULTS: We analysed nursing interventions carried out in 382 patients attended over 1 year in a multidisciplinary breast cancer unit. All patients with early disease had contact with the nurse at different times during their primary treatment. Only 58% of patients with advanced disease had contact with the nurse during their first year of illness. Moreover, first contact with the nurse was delayed by more than a week from diagnosis, the interval recommended by international guidelines.
CONCLUSIONS: The nursing care model meets the core competencies defined for the breast care nurse in patients with early breast cancer, but the first visit should be organised earlier, and follow-up should extend beyond completion of primary treatment.
CONCLUSIONS: This study evaluated the breast care nurse model in one breast cancer unit according to international guidelines. Nursing care adhered to most guideline requirements in patients with early breast cancer, but not in those with advanced disease. New models of care need to be developed for women with advanced breast cancer in order to achieve true patient-centred care.
UNASSIGNED: No contribution from the patient or the public because the data collected was entered into the clinical history by the health professionals of the Breast Unit as part of their usual clinical practice.

UNASSIGNED: A multidisciplinary team meeting (MDM) approach in breast cancer (BC) management is a standard of care. One of the roles of MDMs is to identify the best diagnostic and therapeutic strategies for patients (pts) with new diagnosis of early BC. The purpose of this study was to define whether there was an agreement between the planned program (i.e., MDMs-based decision) and that actually applied. In addition, the study explored factors associated with discordance.
UNASSIGNED: We conducted a retrospective study of a consecutive series of 291 patients with new diagnosis of early BC, discussed at MDMs at the University Hospital of Udine (Italy), from January 2017 to June 2018. The association between clinico-biological factors and discordance between what was decided during the MDMs and what was consequently applied by the oncologist was explored through uni- and multivariate logistic regression analyses.
UNASSIGNED: The median age was 62 years (range 27-88 years). Among invasive early BC patients, the most frequent phenotype was luminal A (38%), followed by luminal B (33%), HER2-positive (12%), and triple-negative (5%). In situ carcinoma (DCIS) represented 12% of cases. The median time from MDM discussion to first oncologic examination was 2 weeks. The rate of discordance between MDM-based decision and final choice, during a face-to-face consultation with the oncologist, was 15.8% (46/291). The most frequent reason for changing the MDM-based program was clinical decision (87%). Follow-up was preferred to the chemotherapy (CT) proposed within the MDMs in 15% of cases, and to the endocrine therapy (ET) in 39% of cases (among these, 44.5% had a diagnosis of DCIS). Therapeutic change from sequential CT-ET to ET alone was chosen in 16/46 pts (35%): among these patients, seven had a luminal B disease and six had an HER2-positive disease. On univariate analysis, factors associated with discordance were values of Ki-67 14%-30% (OR 3.91; 95% CI 1.19-12.9), age >70 years (OR 2.44, 95% CI 1.28-4.63), housewife/retired status (OR 2.35, 95% CI 1.14-4.85), polypharmacy (OR 1.95; 95% CI 1.02-3.72), postmenopausal status (OR 4.15; 95% CI 1.58-10.9), and high Charlson Comorbidity Index (OR 1.31; 95% CI 1.09-1.57). The association with marital status, educational level, alcohol and smoke habits, presence of a caregiver, parity, grading, histotype and phenotype, and stage was not statistically significant. On multivariate analysis, only Ki-67 value maintained its statistical significance.
UNASSIGNED: The results of our study could be useful for enhancing the role of MDMs in the clinical decision-making process in early BC.

Aim: To describe the activity in the \'breast unit\' at the department of radiology during the COVID-19 lockdown in a university hospital treating COVID-19 patients in a Middle-Eastern developing country. Materials: This was a retrospective study conducted from March 9 until 11 May 2020, in the breast unit at the department of radiology of a central university hospital in a Middle-Eastern developing country. Data were collected from 205 patients visiting the breast unit during the lockdown period and compared with the activity in the same period in the previous year. Results: Reduction of the breast unit activity was estimated at 73%. In addition, 153 mammograms, 205 ultrasounds, and 16 breast MRIs were done. Indications for mammogram were screening (41.5%), follow-up (22%), clinical symptoms (20%) and breast cancer surveillance (16.5%). MRI was performed mostly for preoperative surgical management. The rate of positive biopsies was 41%. All staff members and patients have accommodated to new adjustments. Conclusion: Activity in the breast unit dropped during the lockdown period. Staff should continue to seek their own and their patient\'s safety without diminishing the quality of healthcare.

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Interprofessional teamwork is one of the main characteristics of centers specialized in the treatment of breast cancer, known as Breast Units, which since 2016 European legislation has made mandatory for Member States. However, interprofessional collaborative practice (ICP) has often been applied in traditional healthcare contexts on the basis of mono-disciplinary approaches. This paper reports the results of a case study of an Italian Breast Unit carried out through a qualitative research strategy. To understand the case being studied in its complexity the data were drawn from multiple sources of evidence: documents, in-depth interviews with Breast Unit members and field notes from the participant observation of team meetings. The case study shows that, despite the healthcare organization promoting interprofessional collaboration through the creation of protocols, organizational environments and structures aimed at encouraging communication and collaboration between the professionals of the team, a series of older routine relational practices remain. These are based on traditional communication models, cultural and professional barriers between members of the team, which hinder the development of innovative ICPs, thus preventing professionals from seeing the need for change in their relational practices towards a trans-disciplinary approach.

At present there is a lack of standardization of training in breast cancer surgery across Europe. The aim of this survey was to assess current practice in Europe regarding training in breast cancer (BC) surgery.
General surgeons, surgical oncologists, gynecologist, and plastic surgeons in Europe were invited to participate in this bespoke survey including 19 questions.
The survey was sent to 3.000 surgical oncologists across Europe. A total of 671 physicians (387 general surgeons, 152 gynecologists, 126 surgical oncologist, 31 plastic surgeons) answered the survey (23% response rate). Four hundred and sixty-eight physicians devoted between 50% -100% of their job to treating breast cancer. 45% worked in a community/University hospital within a dedicated Breast Unit. Specific additional breast surgery training was not universal: 20% had undertaken an accredited breast fellowship, 30% in a Breast Unit as a trainee, 21% had done additional courses, masters or diploma and 8% had not done any additional training. The majority (61%) of respondents worked in Units treating >150 BC cases per year, while 26% of the responders treat >120 new primary cases per year, and 23% less than 50 new cases a year. Multivariate analysis showed that breast surgeons working in a Breast Unit and treating more than 50 cases/year significantly performed oncoplastic procedures.
There is a great variability in breast cancer surgery training in Europe. It is imperative to develop quality standards for breast cancer surgery training to ensure that patients get standardized and certified surgical management regardless of the country in which they are treated.

The European Society of Breast Cancer Specialists has created quality indicators for breast units to establish the minimum standards of care for patients. In Italy, each region differs, indeed, in terms of health care and services warranted to patients suffering from breast cancer. Since Sicilian Regional Administration today is still disregarding implementation of the provisions contained in the proposal of the Ministry of Health entitled \"Guidelines on Organizational and Health Care Methods of Breast Centers Network\" in November 2015 the Sicilian Regional Group of the Italian Society of Radiology (SIRM) decided to carry out a survey to see the position of the Sicilian Healthcare System and define the gap to bridge over. Sicilian breast imaging radiologists were asked to fill in a questionnaire concerning the type of job relationship (public or private sector), qualification (Manager, Department Manager, Freelancer) and years of experience on breast imaging. With regard to technological requirements, were answered the questions about the number, type, age and completeness of accessories of the equipment supplied in the Sicilian healthcare facilities. The data showed that over 64% of breast imagers in Sicilian centers work in breast units, whereas only 18% are involved in screening programs. A majority of radiologists (81%) working in the breast health care system is very experienced (more than 10 years of experience in the field). The result provided concerning the medical and technical staff demonstrates an uneven situation, but overall an inadequate value compared with the required guidelines especially in interventional procedures. The aim of this paper is to illustrate the method used and the results obtained. These data have to be shared with policy makers to enhance quality improvement in Sicilian Breast Center Network.

The European Union has determined that from 2016 breast cancer patients should be treated in Specialist Breast Units that achieve the minimum standards for the mandatory quality indicators as defined by Eusoma. The existing standard for axillary lymph node staging in breast cancer is sentinel node biopsy (SNB), performed using Technetium-sulphur colloid (99m Tc) alone or with blue dye. The major limits of radioisotope consist in the problems linked to radioactivity, in the shortage of tracer and nuclear medicine units. Among existing alternative tracers, SentiMag® , which uses superparamagnetic iron oxide particles, can represent a valid option for SNB. We conducted a paired, prospective, multicentre study to evaluate the non-inferiority of SentiMag® vs. 99m Tc. The primary end point was the detection rate (DR) per patient. The study sample consists of 193 women affected by breast carcinoma with negative axillary assessment. The concordance rate per patients between 99m Tc and SentiMag® was 97.9%. The DR per patient was 99.0% for 99m Tc and 97.9% for SentiMag® . SentiMag® appears to be non-inferior to the radiotracer and safe. While 99m Tc remains the standard, SentiMag® DR appears adequate after a minimum learning curve. In health care settings where nuclear medicine units are not available, SentiMag/Sienna+® allows effective treatment of breast cancer patients.