Zhao Fangyuan, Henderson Tara O, Cipriano Toni M, Copley Brenda L, Liu Michelle, Burra Rahul, Birch Sondra H, Olopade Olufunmilayo I, Huo Dezheng
Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois.
Department of Pediatrics, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois.
Cancer. 2021 Nov 1;127(21):4072-4080. doi: 10.1002/cncr.33798. Epub 2021 Jul 22.
As the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic continues to spread, it remains unclear how vulnerable populations with preexisting health conditions like cancer have been affected.
Between July and September of 2020, the authors conducted a cross-sectional study that surveyed 2661 patients with breast cancer who were registered in the Chicago Multiethnic Epidemiologic Breast Cancer Cohort and received 1300 responses (71.5% White patients and 22.4% Black patients). The survey measured the psychosocial well-being of participants before and during the COVID-19 pandemic and examined whether they experienced any type of financial challenges or treatment disruption.
The results indicated that feelings of isolation increased significantly during the pandemic. Meanwhile, the overall median isolation/stress score was 1.2 on a scale from 0 (never) to 4 (always), which was not significantly different between White patients and Black patients. One-third of patients experienced some type of financial challenge during this time. Medicaid recipients, of whom almost 80% were Black, were more likely to experience financial challenges. In addition, approximately one-fourth of patients experienced difficulty getting treatment.
This study indicates that the quality of life of patients with breast cancer and their scheduled treatments have been adversely affected during the COVID-19 pandemic. These findings suggest that more support should be provided by hospital centers and the medical research community to patients with cancer during this challenging pandemic.
The authors surveyed patients with breast cancer in Chicago using a questionnaire to examine how their lives have been affected during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. The results indicate that the lives of patients with breast cancer and their scheduled treatments have been adversely affected during the pandemic. In addition, patients who were covered by Medicaid, most of whom were Black, were more likely to experience financial challenges. The findings suggest that hospital centers and the medical research community should reach out and provide more information to support patients with cancer during this challenging pandemic.
随着2019冠状病毒病（COVID-19）大流行的持续蔓延，患有癌症等基础疾病的弱势群体受到了怎样的影响仍不清楚。
2020年7月至9月期间，作者开展了一项横断面研究，对在芝加哥多民族乳腺癌队列中登记的2661例乳腺癌患者进行了调查，共收到1300份回复（71.5%为白人患者，22.4%为黑人患者）。该调查测量了COVID-19大流行之前和期间参与者的心理社会幸福感，并调查了他们是否经历过任何类型的经济困难或治疗中断。
结果表明，在大流行期间，孤独感显著增加。同时，总体孤独/压力中位数得分在0（从未）至4（总是）的量表上为1.2，白人患者和黑人患者之间无显著差异。在此期间，三分之一的患者经历了某种类型的经济困难。医疗补助接受者中近80%为黑人，他们更有可能面临经济困难。此外，约四分之一的患者在接受治疗方面遇到困难。
本研究表明，在COVID-19大流行期间，乳腺癌患者的生活质量及其预定治疗受到了不利影响。这些发现表明，在这一具有挑战性的大流行期间，医院中心和医学研究界应向癌症患者提供更多支持。
作者使用问卷调查了芝加哥的乳腺癌患者，以研究他们在2019冠状病毒病（COVID-19）大流行期间的生活受到了怎样的影响。结果表明，在大流行期间，乳腺癌患者的生活及其预定治疗受到了不利影响。此外，接受医疗补助的患者（其中大多数为黑人）更有可能面临经济困难。这些发现表明，在这一具有挑战性的大流行期间，医院中心和医学研究界应主动提供更多信息，以支持癌症患者。
