{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,11]],"date-time":"2025-10-11T01:13:10Z","timestamp":1760145190490,"version":"build-2065373602"},"reference-count":32,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"7","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2024,7,4]],"date-time":"2024-07-04T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1720051200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"Italian Ministry of Health (RRC)","award":["RRC-2023-23683418"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["RRC-2023-23683418"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Current Oncology"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Objective: The COVID-19 pandemic affected neuro-oncological patients and their caregivers regarding tumor care and emotional functioning, including Quality of Life (QoL). This study aimed to understand how COVID-19 affected their psychological state and the relations between patients and health personnel in neuro-oncology. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on neuro-oncological patients and their caregivers. Results: A total of 162 patients and 66 caregivers completed the questionnaire. Altogether, 37.5% of patients perceived a greater risk of contracting COVID-19 compared to the general population. On a 0\u201310 scale, the patients\u2019 tumor-related anxiety score was 5.8, and their COVID-19-related score was 4.6. The caregivers reported 7.7 and 5.5, respectively. QoL was described as at least good in 75% of both patients and caregivers; the caregivers\u2019 care burden increased in 22.7% of cases during the pandemic, with no correlation with QoL. Future perception often changed, both in patients and caregivers. In 18% of cases, the cancer treatment schedule was changed, either by patient decision or by medical decision. However, 93.5% of patients were satisfied with their overall care. Conclusions: A considerable proportion of patients and caregivers still perceived the tumor disease as more burdensome than the pandemic, and their future as more uncertain. Such data suggest the need to build a productive alliance between patients and health professionals.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/curroncol31070288","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2024,7,9]],"date-time":"2024-07-09T15:27:20Z","timestamp":1720538840000},"page":"3895-3907","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Critical Issues for Patients and Caregivers in Neuro-Oncology during the COVID-19 Pandemic: What We Have Learnt from an Observational Study"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"31","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7383-3108","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Elena","family":"Anghileri","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Neuro-Oncology Unit, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Via Celoria 11, 20133 Milan, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Irene","family":"Tramacere","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Research and Clinical Development, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, 20133 Milan, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Sara","family":"Morlino","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Radiotherapy Unit, Neurosurgery Department, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, 20133 Milan, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Catia","family":"Leuzzi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Clinical Neuro-Science Department, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, 20133 Milan, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Lorena Pareja","family":"Gutierrez","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Clinical Neuro-Science Department, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, 20133 Milan, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4769-8074","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Saba","family":"Motta","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Scientific and Patients Library, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, 20133 Milan, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Antonio","family":"Silvani","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Neuro-Oncology Unit, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Via Celoria 11, 20133 Milan, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0004-2424-7494","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Anna","family":"Amato","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Milano-Bicocca, 20126 Milan, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Francesca Romana","family":"Berrini","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"AITC-Associazione Italiana Tumori Cerebrali (Italian Brain Tumor Association), 20133 Milan, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2024,7,4]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"47","DOI":"10.1007\/s40737-016-0069-2","article-title":"The Meaning in Quality of Life","volume":"3","author":"Chaturvedi","year":"2016","journal-title":"J. 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