Petropoulou Zoe, Arkadopoulos Nikolaos, Michalopoulos Nikolaos V
4th Department of Surgery, Medical School, "Attikon" University Hospital, University of Athens, 12462 Athens, Greece.
Cancers (Basel). 2022 Oct 31;14(21):5360. doi: 10.3390/cancers14215360.
The harsh healthcare reality imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in wide clinical practice alterations, postponements, and shortages, affecting both patients and caregivers. Breast-cancer management, from diagnosis to treatment and follow up, was a field that did not escape such changes, facing a challenging set of obstacles in order to maintain adequate cancer care services while diminishing viral spread among patients and personnel. In this review article, we discuss the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on several aspects of breast-cancer management, and the subsequent modifications adopted by clinicians, scientific groups, and governments as a response to the novel conditions. Screening and diagnosis, as well as breast-cancer treatment paths-especially surgical interventions-were the most affected domains, while patients' psychological burden also emerged as a notable consequence. The aftermath of diagnostic and surgical delays is yet to be assessed, while the treatment alterations and the introduction of new therapeutic schemes might signify the opening of a novel era in breast-cancer management.
新冠疫情带来的严峻医疗现实导致临床实践发生了广泛变化、推迟和短缺，影响了患者和医护人员。乳腺癌管理，从诊断到治疗及随访，是一个未能免受此类变化影响的领域，为了在减少病毒在患者和医护人员中传播的同时维持足够的癌症护理服务，面临一系列具有挑战性的障碍。在这篇综述文章中，我们讨论了新冠疫情对乳腺癌管理几个方面的影响，以及临床医生、科学团体和政府为应对新情况而采取的后续调整措施。筛查与诊断以及乳腺癌治疗路径——尤其是手术干预——是受影响最大的领域，而患者的心理负担也成为一个显著后果。诊断和手术延迟的后果尚待评估，而治疗调整和新治疗方案的引入可能意味着乳腺癌管理新时代的开启。
