Consequences of coronavirus disease in women with breast cancer

The ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic produces widespread concerns, fear and stress throughout the world, and our country is no exception in that regard, which is a natural and normal human reaction to this inconsistent and uncertain situation for us all.

For the purpose of this study a sociodemographic questionnaire was devised as well as a Serbian version of the self-reported Depression, anxiety and stress scale-21.

The average age ± [standard deviation (SD)] of the participants in the study was 49.20 ± 11.2 years. Regarding the depression score, 55/93 examinees (59.13%) had a normal score in the first examination, whereas in the second it rose to 57/93 (61.29%) and in the third it was 52/93 (58.06%). A normal anxiety score in March 2020 was seen in 52/93 (55.91%), whereas in September that year it was 53/93 (56.98%) and in March 2021 it was 39/93 (41.93%). The average value of stress score at the measurement in March 2020 was 5.51, lower in September (4.92) and in March 2021 it was 5.63.

The results of this study refer to the process of clinical assessment and monitoring of breast cancer patients with evident symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress. Adequate counseling about COVID-19 is therefore a priority in an attempt to alleviate its psychological impact in these patients.