Six in ten Italian oncologists report burnout as Aiom and Fiaso present survey in Rome

Burnout and threats among oncologists

Six oncologists in ten report burnout, according to a survey of 135 Italian oncologists carried out by Aiom with Fiaso, the federation of Italian healthcare and hospital companies. The findings were presented in Rome on 14 November 2026, during the second day of Aiom's 28th national congress, which runs until 15 November and brings together 3,000 Italian oncologists. Massimo Di Maio, Aiom's national president, said the perception is that the problem has worsened over time, while noting that the survey is preliminary and partial. 64% of respondents say they have received threats or been verbally attacked by patients or their relatives, and 2% report physical violence. Giuseppe Quintavalle, president of Fiaso, called for hospital management to watch the strain closely.

“The distress of oncologists needs to be monitored carefully by company management.”

Quintavalle added that the causes of stress must be identified and burnout separated from temporary forms of discomfort.

Threats or verbal aggression64%

Difficulty accessing psychological support54%

At least six hours weekly on paperwork55%

Want reduced workloads82%

Want more recognition35%

Physical violence2%

Threats or verbal aggression

64 %

Difficulty accessing psychological support

54 %

At least six hours weekly on paperwork

55 %

Want reduced workloads

82 %

Want more recognition

35 %

Physical violence

2 %

Data from the article text

Bureaucracy takes time from patients

55% of the oncologists say they spend at least six hours a week on documents, medical records, email and other administrative tasks. Rossana Berardi, Aiom's president-elect, presented the survey and described this as invisible work that often runs beyond working hours. She said some of these tasks could be handed to support staff, moved to better digital systems or, where possible, delegated to artificial intelligence programmes. Her central point was that the work of oncologists needs protection as well as recognition.

“The oncologist's fundamental role is to care for sick people, but to do so well it needs, in turn, to be supported and protected.”

Aiom and Fiaso signed a memorandum of understanding at the congress to identify good practices that simplify bureaucratic procedures and enhance the work of oncologists. The survey also found that 82% of respondents want a reduction in their workloads, while 35% ask for more recognition of their work. 54% report difficulty accessing psychological support services.

Proposed budget amendment and the risk to young doctors

Aiom plans to present a proposed amendment to the next budget law that would seek formal recognition of the psychosocial and relational risk linked to the profession. The proposal will be put forward together with Salute Donna, an advocacy association chaired by Annamaria Mancuso, the Italian college of hospital oncology department heads (Cipomo), and Women for Oncology Italy, a network of more than 1,000 women. Di Maio said the problem was already known in oncology and that international surveys had examined it years earlier. He also warned that losing motivation among young doctors could discourage people from entering the specialty. The Aiom Young Working Group had earlier worked on a project called Aut Aut, built on testimonies from young colleagues, in 2025.

A precision oncology platform

The Tavola Periodica delle Mutazioni, presented at the congress, is described as the first digital platform in Italy for classifying and visualising gene variants in oncology. It was developed by the Pmmp group of Siapec, the Italian society of anatomical pathology and diagnostic cytopathology, together with Aiom and Fondazione Atlas Italia, with unconditional contributions from AstraZeneca and Thermo Fisher Scientific. A specialist enters a variant identified in laboratory analysis, and the system produces a Pmmp Score based on the level of scientific evidence for that mutation. Umberto Malapelle, coordinator of Pmmp-Siapec, said the platform lets specialists check the available evidence quickly.

“Not all mutations have the same degree of scientific evidence in terms of predicting the activity and efficacy of a specific therapy.”

Malapelle said that at least a hundred predictive markers are known across all tumours, nine for lung cancer and three for colorectal cancer. Di Maio said the platform will be extended to other mutations and tumour types, beginning with the EGFR gene in lung cancer.