Pattern of breast cancer presentation during the COVID-19 pandemic: results from a cohort study in the UK.

This study aimed to explore the hypothesis that the stage of breast cancer at initial diagnosis in 2020 is more advanced compared with 2019. Tumor, node, metastasis and Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) stages of new breast cancer diagnoses at the Bucks Breast Unit from May 2019 to October 2020 were reviewed. A p < 0.05 was considered significant. Average UICC stage increased from 1a in 2019 to 2a in 2020 (p < 0.01). Excluding cancers detected through screening, UICC stage still increased from 1b in 2019 to 2a in 2020 (p = 0.0184). There was a significant increase in the percentage of node-positive patients (p = 0.0063) and patients with metastatic disease (p = 0.0295) on initial presentation. Overall, patients presented with higher UICC stages and more node-positive and metastatic disease on initial diagnosis in 2020 compared with 2019.