Benefits of early palliative care referral in oncology are well-validated. At the Veneto Institute of Oncology-IRCCS, a simultaneous-care outpatient clinic (SCOC) has been active since 2014, where patients with advanced cancer are evaluated by an oncologist together with a palliative care team. We prospectively assessed SCOC patients’ characteristics and SCOC outcomes through internal procedure indicators. Data were retrieved from the SCOC prospectively maintained database. There were 753 eligible patients. The median age was 68 years; primary tumor sites were gastrointestinal (75.2%), genitourinary (15.0%) and other sites (9.8%). Predominant symptoms were psychological issues (69.4%), appetite loss (67.5%) and pain (65.9%). Dyspnea was reported in 53 patients (7%) in the referral form, while it was detected in 226 patients (34.2%) during SCOC visits (p < 0.0001). Median survival of patients after the SCOC visit was 7.3 months. Survival estimates by the referring oncologist were significantly different from the actual survival. Psychological intervention was deemed necessary and undertaken in 34.6% of patients, and nutritional support was undertaken in 37.9% of patients. Activation of palliative care services was prompted for 77.7% of patients. Out of 357 patients whose place of death is known, 69.2% died at home, in hospice or residential care. With regard to indicators’ assessment, the threshold was reached for 9 out of 11 parameters (81.8%) requested by the procedure. This study confirmed the importance of close collaboration between oncologists and palliative care teams in responding properly to cancer patients’ needs. The introduction of a procedure with indicators allowed punctual assessment of a team’s performance.

The SARS-CoV-2 spread has impacted Healthcare systems. COVID-19 pandemic has had consequences for patients with cancer, being associated with delays in diagnosis, in treatment And follow-up care, increase in overall infection rates and higher mortality. A survey on COVID-19 and a vaccination-questionnaire were developed at different times of the outbreak, to evaluate cancer patient-reported experience measures (PREMs) on the policies implemented to reduce the infection from SARS-CoV-2 and on the timing and methods of COVID-19 vaccination. Patients and Methods:The survey was distributed to all patients accessing the Institute during the "first-wave" Of the pandemic, evaluating patients' concerns about the pandemic, the pandemics' consequences on their cancer care, and their perception Of the measures adopted to limit the infection spread. The vaccination-questionnaire was proposed to 10% of the first 5297 cancer patients vaccinated with two doses of the Pfizer-BioNTechCOVID-19 vaccine. This questionnaire aimed at assessing the degree Of satisfaction with the Institutional vaccination campaign and vaccination-related adverse events. Results: From May 18th 2020 to June 15th 2020 the survey was completed by 3238 patients. Most of the responders expressed concern on the pandemic yet acknowledging their oncological disease as a priority. Measures implemented were appreciated by patients. Telemedicine was positively evaluated and the absence of the caregiver during the visit did not determine discomfort for two thirds of patients. From March 6th 2021 to May 8th 2021 the vaccination-questionnaire was completed by 357 patients. The 98.8% were satisfied with the vaccination campaign. No serious vaccination-correlated adverse events were reported. No patient had to delay/discontinue chemotherapy due to vaccination. Conclusion: PREMs during COVID-19 pandemic and related vaccination can provide important information to help reorganization of the health care systems for cancer care. Patients' feedback on the organizational changes implemented in the emergency period are essential for healthcare improvement and to help informed choices that are consistent with patients' needs.

Cancer patients are at risk of several comorbid conditions, including nutritional issues and mental health illnesses. The objective of the current study was to estimate the prevalence, upon hospital admission, of depression and malnutrition among adults with cancer. A retrospective chart review was conducted using health information collected as part of routine assistance. Nutritional status was measured through structured tools, including body mass index (BMI), Nutrition Risk Screening (NRS) 2002, and dietary intake needs. Depression was assessed with the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HAD). Cancer site, disease stage, length of hospitalization, age, and sex were also considered. Multivariate analyses were used to investigate the association between malnutrition and depression. In summary, our study reveals that malnutrition increases the risk of depression among cancer patients. The findings can also be used in clinical oncology for the implementation of appropriate prevention and treatment interventions in order to reduce the extent of depression and thus improve cancer patients’ quality of life and survival rate.

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