İlgün Ahmet Serkan, Özmen Vahit
Department of General Surgery, Demiroğlu Science University School of Medicine, İstanbul, Turkey.
Prof of Surgery, İstanbul Florence Nightingale Hospital, Breast Health Centre, İstanbul, Turkey.
Eur J Breast Health. 2021 Dec 30;18(1):85-90. doi: 10.4274/ejbh.galenos.2021.2021-11-5. eCollection 2022 Jan.
The coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic causes delays in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer patients due to fear of contagion and lockdown. This study aims to investigate the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on breast cancer patients treated in our breast center.
Patients who applied to our clinic with the diagnosis of invasive breast cancer in March 2020 and March 2021 (Study Group) when the COVID-19 pandemic was observed, and in March 2019 and March 2020 before the COVID-19 pandemic (Control Group) were compared in terms of demographic, clinical and pathological characteristics. Statistical analyses were performed using the SPSS software version 21.
There were 176 (46%) patients in the study and 206 (54%) patients in the control group. Almost a 15% reduction was detected in patients admitted during the COVID-19 pandemic. The rate of pre-menopausal patients and patient-related delay time (PRDT) were significantly higher in SG (57.7% vs. %45, p=0.013, 2.58 vs. 1.82-month, p=0.001, respectively). There was a larger tumor size and more metastatic lymph nodes after NAC in the SG, but the differences were not significant. There was no difference regarding breast cancer stages and molecular subtypes between the two groups, but there was significantly more de novo stage IV breast cancer in the SG (p=0.009). The incidence of neo-adjuvant chemotherapy and type of surgical therapy was similar between the two groups.
COVID-19 pandemic caused a decrease in the number of patients who applied to our clinic and increased patient-related delay time due to fear of transmission and lockdown. The rate of de novo stage IV breast cancer was also significantly increased.
2019年冠状病毒病（COVID-19）大流行因担心感染和封锁导致癌症患者的诊断和治疗延迟。本研究旨在调查COVID-19大流行对在我们乳腺中心接受治疗的乳腺癌患者的影响。
比较2020年3月和2021年3月（研究组）COVID-19大流行期间以及2019年3月和2020年3月COVID-19大流行之前申请到我们诊所诊断为浸润性乳腺癌的患者（对照组）的人口统计学、临床和病理特征。使用SPSS 21版软件进行统计分析。
研究组有176例（46%）患者，对照组有206例（54%）患者。在COVID-19大流行期间入院的患者中检测到几乎15%的减少。研究组绝经前患者比例和患者相关延迟时间（PRDT）显著更高（分别为57.7%对45%，p=0.013；2.58个月对1.82个月，p=0.001）。研究组新辅助化疗后肿瘤大小更大，转移淋巴结更多，但差异不显著。两组之间乳腺癌分期和分子亚型无差异，但研究组新发IV期乳腺癌显著更多（p=0.009）。两组之间新辅助化疗的发生率和手术治疗类型相似。
COVID-19大流行导致申请到我们诊所的患者数量减少，并且由于担心传播和封锁导致患者相关延迟时间增加。新发IV期乳腺癌的比例也显著增加。
