key: cord-0879836-t8t3v2dg
authors: Bertuzzi, Alexia Francesca; Gennaro, Nicolò; Marrari, Andrea; Santoro, Armando
title: The Blurred Line between the Art and Science of Medicine
date: 2020-05-28
journal: Radiother Oncol
DOI: 10.1016/j.radonc.2020.05.030
sha: 062e3de65b750c9648c14c7b2dc4e1b2372c7321
doc_id: 879836
cord_uid: t8t3v2dg

nan

memory. This was particularly true for those institutions that, while providing emergency care to COVID-19 patients, sticked to their primitive commitment, such as cancer centers [2] .

Ensuring a continuum of care is pivotal for oncologic patients as timely diagnosis and treatment are potentially lifesaving. To preserve it, cancer centers had to rethink the modality of working and communicating , with telemedicine being as the simplest solution. Suddenly, it became the keynote of our profession, representing an immediate resource to achieve social distancing [4] . Wherever the Art of Medicine is loved, there is also a love of Humanity, Hippocrates once said. How can telemedicine afford that? The model of oncologic care has changed over time towards the current patient-centred approach, where physicians became patients' first allies in the war against cancer. During the current pandemic, such model has regressed to a physician-centred care, which still deserves the credit of ensuring essential oncologic assistance regardless of the circumstances. But how can you trust your ally without shaking hands? This historical moment has taught us the concrete benefits of virtual care, enhancing the speed and efficiency of the clinical activity. However, oncologists should be aware that commitment to care cannot renounce the warmth of human connection, as neither delay nor isolation is allowed in oncology.

WHO Director-General's opening remarks at the media briefing on COVID-19 -11

A War on Two Fronts: Cancer Care in the Time of COVID-19

Virtual Program | ASCO Annual Meeting n

Between Scylla and Charybdis -Oncologic Decision Making in the Time of Covid-19