BACKGROUND: This study evaluated the consequences in Europe of the COVID-19 outbreak on pathology laboratories orientated toward the diagnosis of thoracic diseases. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A survey was sent to 71 pathology laboratories from 21 European countries. The questionnaire requested information concerning the organization of biosafety, the clinical and molecular pathology, the biobanking, the workload, the associated research into COVID-19, and the organization of education and training during the COVID-19 crisis, from 15 March to 31 May 2020, compared with the same period in 2019. RESULTS: Questionnaires were returned from 53/71 (75%) laboratories from 18 European countries. The biosafety procedures were heterogeneous. The workload in clinical and molecular pathology decreased dramatically by 31% (range, 3%-55%) and 26% (range, 7%-62%), respectively. According to the professional category, between 28% and 41% of the staff members were not present in the laboratories but did teleworking. A total of 70% of the laboratories developed virtual meetings for the training of residents and junior pathologists. During the period of study, none of the staff members with confirmed COVID-19 became infected as a result of handling samples. CONCLUSIONS: The COVID-19 pandemic has had a strong impact on most of the European pathology laboratories included in this study. Urgent implementation of several changes to the organization of most of these laboratories, notably to better harmonize biosafety procedures, was noted at the onset of the pandemic and maintained in the event of a new wave of infection occurring in Europe.

Centre for Oncological Research University of Antwerp Antwerp Belgium

Department of Biopathology Gui de Chauliac Hospital Montpellier University Hospital Montpellier France

Department of Cardiac Thoracic Vascular Sciences and Public Health Pathological Anatomy Section University of Padova Medical School Padova Italy

Department of Cellular Pathology University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust Southampton UK

Department of Histopathology St Vincent's University Hospital University College Dublin School of Medicine Dublin Ireland

Department of Oncology and Hemato Oncology University of Milan Milan and IRCCS MultiMedica Milan Italy

Department of Oncology University of Torino Torino Italy

Department of Pathology Aberdeen Royal Infirmary Aberdeen UK

Department of Pathology Amsterdam University Medical Centres Location VUmc Amsterdam The Netherlands

Department of Pathology and Medical Biology University Medical Center Groningen University of Groningen Groningen The Netherlands

Department of Pathology and Molecular Medicine 3rd Faculty of Medicine Charles University Thomayer Hospital and University Hospital Kralovske Vinohrady Prague Czech Republic

Department of Pathology and Molecular Pathology Centre Jean Perrin Clermont Ferrand France

Department of Pathology Bichat Hospital AP HP Inserm UMR 1152 Université de Paris Paris France

Department of Pathology Centre Hospitalier Le Mans France

Department of Pathology CHU de Caen Université de Caen Normandie Caen France

Department of Pathology Complejo Hospitalario de Navarra Pamplona Spain

Department of Pathology Emergency University Hospital Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy Bucharest Romania

Department of Pathology Erasme Hospital Université Libre de Bruxelles Brussels Belgium

Department of Pathology Groupement Hospitalier Est Hospices Civils de Lyon Lyon France

Department of Pathology Hôpital Européen Georges Pompidou AP HP Université de Paris Paris France

Department of Pathology Hôpital Nord AP HM Aix Marseille University Marseille France

Department of Pathology Hôpital Tenon AP HP Paris France

Department of Pathology Hôpitaux Universitaires Paris Centre Hôpital Cochin Inserm U1138 Université de Paris Paris France

Department of Pathology Inserm 1245 Rouen University Hospital Normandy University Rouen France

Department of Pathology Institut Mutualiste Montsouris Paris France

Department of Pathology IUC T Oncopole Inserm U1037 CRCT Université de Toulouse Toulouse France

Department of Pathology Karolinska University Hospital Stockholm Sweden

Department of Pathology Marie Lannelongue Hospital Le Plessis Robinson France

Department of Pathology Turku University Hospital Turku Finland

Department of Pathology University Clinic Golnik Golnik Slovenia

Department of Pathology University Hospital of Bordeaux Bordeaux France

Department of Pathology University Hospital of Saint Etienne Saint Etienne France

Department of Pathology University Hospital of Strasbourg Strasbourg France

Department of Pathology University Hospital of Tours Tours France

Department of Pathology University of Oradea Oradea Romania

Department of Pathology Vall d'Hebron University Hospital Barcelona Spain

Department of Pathology Victor Babes University of Medicine and Pharmacy Timisoara Romania

Department of Pneumology FHU OncoAge Louis Pasteur Hospital IRCAN Université Côte d'Azur Nice France

Department of Public Health University of Naples Frederico 2 Naples Italy

Department of Thoracic Pathology Service of Pathology University Clinical Centre of Serbia Belgrade Serbia

Department of Thoracic Surgery FHU OnoAge Louis Pasteur Hospital University Côte d'Azur Nice France

Epidemiology and Biostatistics Unit Centre Antoine Lacassagne Université Côte d'Azur Nice France

Institut de Pathologie CHU Lille Université de Lille Lille France

Institute of Anatomical and Molecular Pathology and University Hospital University of Coimbra Coimbra Portugal

Institute of Pathology Cantonal Hospital Baselland Liestal Switzerland

Institute of Pathology Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology Lausanne University Hospital and Lausanne University Lausanne Switzerland

Institute of Pathology German Center for Lung Research Biomedical Research in Endstage and Obstructive Lung Disease Hannover Hannover Medical School Hannover Germany

Institute of Pathology Institute of Medical Genetics and Pathology University Hospital Basel Basel Switzerland

Institute of Pathology Medical University of Graz Graz Austria

Institute of Pathology University Hospital Essen Essen Germany

Institute of Pathology University Hospital Heidelberg Heidelberg and German Center for Lung Research Germany

Institute of Pathology University Hospital Ostrava Ostrava Czech Republic

Institute of Pathology University of Regensburg Regensburg Germany

Laboratory of Clinical and Experimental Pathology FHU OncoAge BB 0033 00025 Louis Pasteur Hospital IRCAN Université Côte d'Azur Nice France

Laboratory of Pathology Finnish Institute of Occupational Health Helsinki Finland

Liverpool University Hospitals Royal Liverpool University Hospital Liverpool UK

Pulmonary Pathology Department Gregorio Marañon University Hospital Madrid Spain

Team 4 IRCAN INSERM CNRS Centre Antoine Lacassagne Université Côte d'Azur Nice France

Unit of Histopathology and Molecular Diagnostics Division of Pathology IEO European Institute of Oncology IRCCS Milan Italy

Unit of Pathology Azienda Ospedaliera dei Colli Monaldi Cotugno CTO Naples Italy

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