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Lockdown of Breast Cancer Screening for COVID-19: Possible Scenario
Gianluca Vanni1, Marco Pellicciaro2, Marco Materazzo1
1Breast Unit, Department of Surgical Science, Policlinico Tor Vergata University, Rome, Italy.
Insights
Temporary suspension of breast cancer (BC) screening during lockdowns may lead to approximately 10,000 missed diagnoses in three months. Resuming screening is crucial to prevent delayed diagnoses and improve patient outcomes.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Public Health
- Epidemiology
Background:
- The COVID-19 pandemic necessitated emergency restrictions, including the suspension of non-urgent medical services like breast cancer screening.
- Breast cancer screening programs are vital for early detection, improving survival rates, and reducing mortality.
- Suspension of these programs during lockdowns poses a significant risk of adverse outcomes for breast cancer patients.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze the impact of temporary breast cancer screening suspension due to lockdowns.
- To estimate the number of missed breast cancer diagnoses resulting from screening program interruptions.
Main Methods:
- Literature research and analysis of data related to breast cancer and screening programs.
- Modeling different scenarios to estimate the impact of lockdown durations on screening coverage.
Main Results:
- An estimated 10,000 breast cancer cases may be missed during a 3-month screening suspension.
- Extending the suspension to 6 months, based on models like the Imperial College model, could result in approximately 16,000 missed diagnoses.
Conclusions:
- Resuming breast cancer screening programs promptly is essential.
- Early resumption will mitigate the increase in missed diagnoses and reduce the negative impact of delayed detection on patient health outcomes.
Background/Aim:
Coronavirus disease is spreading worldwide. Due to fast transmission and high fatality rate drastic emergency restrictions were issued. During the lockdown, only urgent medical services are guaranteed. All non-urgent services, as breast cancer (BC) screening, are temporarily suspended. The potential of breast cancer screening programs in increasing the survival rate and decreasing the mortality rate has been widely confirmed. Suspension could lead to worse outcomes for breast cancer patients. Our study aimed to analyse the data and provide estimates regarding the temporary BC screening suspension.
Patients And Methods:
Data regarding breast cancer and respective screening programs were achieved through literature research and analysis.
Results:
Considering three different scenarios with respect to the lockdown's impact on breast cancer screening, we estimate that approximately 10,000 patients could have a missed diagnosis during these 3 months. Considering a 6-month period, as suggested by the Imperial college model, the number of patients who will not receive a diagnosis will rise to 16,000.
Conclusion:
Breast cancer screening should be resumed as soon as possible in order to avoid further breast cancer missed diagnosis and reduce the impact of delayed diagnosis.
