Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 14, 2025
Integrating Augmented Reality Tools in Breast Cancer Related Lymphedema Prognostication and Diagnosis
Published on: February 6, 2020
Impact of Covid-19 on Breast Cancer Screening
Kely Paviani Stevanato1, Fernando Castilho Pelloso2, Deise Helena Pelloso Borghesan3
1Department of Health Sciences, State University of Maringá, Maringá, Paraná, Brazil.
Objective:
To assess the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on breast cancer screening.
Methods:
This was a cross-sectional and retrospective study, which used data extracted from "TABNET" between 2014 to 2020. Statistical analysis was carried out using the ANOVA model.
Result:
In 2019, a total of 3,068,776 mammograms were conducted, which significantly decreased to 1,808,765 in 2020. Since the onset of the pandemic in Brazil in March 2020, there has been a reduction in the number of mammograms performed. Mammography coverage increased from 0.11 to 0.18 between 2014 and 2019 but sharply declined from 0.18 to 0.10 between 2019 and 2020.
Conclusion:
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a detrimental impact on breast cancer screening efforts, especially in detecting the disease in early stages. Health services shifted their focus towards caring for COVID-19 patients, therefore neglecting routine screening programs and interventions. Additionally, the population's fear of contagion contributed to a decrease in demand for screening tests.
Related Concept Videos
01:21Cancer Survival Analysis
02:49Cancer Therapies
However, cancer treatments can pose several challenges, as therapies used to kill cancer cells are generally also toxic to normal cells. Moreover, cancer cells mutate rapidly and can develop resistance to chemical agents or radiation therapy. Besides, all types of cancer cells may not respond to the same therapy. Some cancer cells respond to one...