Breast Cancer and SARS-Cov2: Lessons from a Pandemic.
Anticancer Res
; 43(5): 2235-2241, 2023 May.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-2295738
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND/AIM:
The COVID-19 pandemic introduced drastic containment measures, which had a direct impact on breast cancer management. During the first wave, a delay in care and a decrease in new consultation numbers was observed. It would be interesting to study the resulting long-term consequences on breast cancer presentation and time to first treatment. PATIENTS ANDMETHODS:
This retrospective cohort study was conducted at the surgery Department of the Anti-Cancer Center of Nice, France. Two periods of 6 months were compared a pandemic period from June to December 2020 (after the end of the first wave), and a control period one year earlier. The primary endpoint was to measure the time to care access. The patients and cancer characteristics and the management type were also compared.RESULTS:
A total of 268 patients underwent diagnosis for breast cancer in each period. The time from biopsy to consultation was shortened after the containment was lifted (16 days vs. 18 days, p=0.024). The time between first consultation and treatment was unchanged between the two periods. The tumor size was larger in the pandemic period (21 mm vs. 18 mm, p=0.028). The clinical presentation was different 59.8% of patients consulted for a palpable mass in the pandemic period, vs. 49.6% in the control period (p=0.023). There was no significant change in therapeutic management. The use of genomic testing was significantly increased. The number of breast cancer cases diagnosed decreased by 30% during the first COVID-19 lockdown. Even though a rebound was expected after the first wave, the number of consultations for breast cancer remained constant. This finding shows the fragility of screening adherence.CONCLUSION:
It is necessary to reinforce education in the face of crises that may be repeated. Management of breast cancer did not change, which is a reassuring aspect regarding the care pathway in anticancer centers.Keywords
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Breast Neoplasms
/
COVID-19
Type of study:
Cohort study
/
Diagnostic study
/
Observational study
/
Prognostic study
Limits:
Female
/
Humans
Language:
English
Journal:
Anticancer Res
Year:
2023
Document Type:
Article
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