Impact of Covid-19 pandemic on the management of breast cancer patients

Abstract

Background: In 2019, the world that we know has changed. The emergence of a novel virus called COVID-19, culminated in pandemic declaration by the WHO. Breast teams had the task to ensure safe and effective delivery of cancer treatment. This observational study was conducted to evaluate the management of breast cancer patients during the first COVID-19 outbreak period, in accordance with the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE) and Association of Breast Surgery (ABS) guidelines. Materials and Methods: We retrospectively assessed the management of our newly diagnosed breast cancer patients during the period from March 2020 until June 2020. This entailed the review of patient notes and documentation stored in the local electronic surgical database. Results: A total of 65 patients were included in the study. 81.5 % (n=53) received standard treatment in line with NICE guidelines, in contrast with 12 patients (18.5%) whose management has been modified according to the pandemic ABS guidance. New guidelines meant all patients planned for mastectomy will not have immediate breast reconstruction. High Risk patients were put on endocrine treatment if they were eligible. Conclusions: The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in a significant modification in treatment of our newly diagnosed breast cancer patients. Despite the deviation from standard NICE guidelines, our practice was in line with the pertinent pandemic ABS guidance. It would be of interest to follow-up these patients and investigate the long-term effects of these practice modifications on clinical outcomes.