Abstract 50: Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Breast Cancer Treatments in the Brazilian Public System

Abstract

Abstract Purpose: To evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on breast cancer treatments performed in Brazil, by the Unified Health System (SUS). Methods: Data were obtained from the DATASUS database, provided by the Ministry of Health, from 2017 to 2021. The codes C50 (Malignant breast neoplasm) and D05 (Carcinoma in situ of the breast) were used. The therapeutic modality included surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy and/or both as a form of treatment. Statistical analysis was performed using linear regression with a 95% confidence interval. Results: The number of treatments for breast cancer performed in the years 2017, 2018 and 2019 was 26,335, 39,339 and 43,271, respectively. The analysis between year and number of treatments performed showed progressive growth. In 2020, impacted by the pandemic, the number of treatments was 40,934, a value 22.63% below the forecast (52,911.09) and 14.14% below the lower confidence limit (47,677.58) estimated for the year by regression. In 2021, 43,265 treatments were performed. Conclusion: The number of treatments performed for breast cancer by the SUS, which had shown relative growth until 2019, declined in the year affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. One of the possible associated factors was the greater focus of hospital services on the prevention and treatment of the disease triggered by the virus. In addition, the immunosuppression of patients with breast cancer in treatments such as chemotherapy and radiotherapy, associated with the higher age group epidemiologically associated with the pathology, may have corroborated a higher mortality due to COVID-19. The underdiagnosis of cancer as a result of the pandemic should also be a relevant factor for future studies, since, in 2021, the number of treatments performed returned to the pre-pandemic value observed, which may characterize the resumption of cancer diagnosis and treatment services. Citation Format: Laura Tibola Marques da Silva, Pedro Antonio Paludo Menna Barreto, Luiza Seixas de Sá Beltramo, Gabriele Eckerdt Lech, Fernando Azambuja, Rafaela de Andrade, Arthur Minas Alberti, Pedro Arthur Zimmer Silveira, Lucas Kieling. Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Breast Cancer Treatments in the Brazilian Public System [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 11th Annual Symposium on Global Cancer Research; Closing the Research-to-Implementation Gap; 2023 Apr 4-6. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2023;32(6_Suppl):Abstract nr 50.