Breast Units: Multidisciplinary Centers Ensuring Quality and Continuity in Breast Cancer Care
Breast Units are not simple hospital departments—they are coordinated, multidisciplinary hubs designed to provide an integrated pathway for diagnosis, treatment, rehabilitation, and followup. Their value lies in the quality of coordination, not geographic location.
Italian Breast Units follow EUSOMA standards: at least 150 cases per year, a dedicated multidisciplinary team, rapid diagnostic pathways, personalized protocols, and continuous monitoring of clinical quality.
Italy has around 200 Breast Units—one for every 295,000 inhabitants—still below the recommended threshold of one per 250,000. Distribution remains uneven, with significant gaps in Southern regions.
Breast Units (BUs)—also known as Breast Care Centers—represent one of the most effective organizational models for breast cancer management. They are not traditional hospital wards, but multidisciplinary centers where specialists collaborate in a coordinated way to offer patients a structured, continuous, and highquality care pathway.
Their core mission is clear: timely diagnosis, continuity of care, and shared therapeutic decisionmaking, ensuring a truly womancentered approach.
A Breast Unit may be located in a single facility or spread across several healthcare services, as long as it operates as one integrated structure, with standardized pathways and strong multidisciplinary coordination.
It is this organizational model—not geography—that defines the quality of care.
EUSOMA standards: the European benchmark for excellence
Italian Breast Units follow the quality criteria established by EUSOMA (European Society of Breast Cancer Specialists), which require:
- at least 150 new breast cancer cases per year
- a dedicated multidisciplinary team, including breast surgeons, radiologists, oncologists, pathologists, psychooncologists, physiotherapists, case managers, and more
- rapid diagnostic processes
- weekly multidisciplinary meetings to discuss each clinical case
- programs for hereditary and familial risk assessment
- personalized protocols for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation
- continuous monitoring of clinical quality indicators
An increasing number of Breast Units now integrate innovative tools such as ePROs (Electronic PatientReported Outcomes), enabling patients to report symptoms and side effects in real time. This enhances clinical monitoring and supports more personalized, proactive care.
The Italian landscape: progress with remaining challenges
Italy currently has approximately 200 Breast Units, corresponding to one per 295,000 inhabitants.
Although encouraging, this number remains below the recommended standard of one per 250,000 inhabitants.
Distribution across the country is uneven:
- many Northern and Central regions approach the European standard
- several Southern and Island regions show insufficient coverage, with one Center for every 400,000–460,000 inhabitants
Such disparities can result in delays in diagnosis and treatment, and reduce access to certified multidisciplinary pathways.
Did you know?
Breast Units are not just places of treatment—they are multidisciplinary ecosystems designed entirely around women’s needs.
Most BUs also provide:
- psychological support
- nutritional counseling
- postsurgical physiotherapy
- patient navigation and casemanagement support
This holistic model improves not only clinical outcomes but also overall quality of life.
Source: IQVIA Italy – Breast Units in Italy: Evolution, Impact and Future Challenges (2022)