Related Experiment Video For breast cancer
Updated: Jan 17, 2026
Integrating Augmented Reality Tools in Breast Cancer Related Lymphedema Prognostication and Diagnosis
Published on: February 6, 2020
Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Stage at Presentation Among Breast Cancer Patients: A Multicenter Retrospective
Faisal Nabi Depar1, Marium Nadeem Khan2, Sanam Nusrat3
1Department of Medicine, People's University of Medical and Health Sciences for Women, Nawabshah, PAK.
Abstract:
Background Global healthcare systems were upended by the COVID-19 pandemic, which resulted in delayed cancer diagnosis and possible changes to disease staging at presentation. Objective The main objective of this study is to assess and compare the stage at which breast cancer patients presented before and during the COVID-19 pandemic, with particular attention to any shift toward more advanced stages at the time of diagnosis. Methodology This multicenter, retrospective, observational study was conducted at Shifa College of Medicine, Islamabad; Northwest School of Medicine, Peshawar; and Kabir Medical College, Peshawar. Excluding the peak lockdown period, female patients with new primary breast cancer diagnoses were split into two cohorts: pre-pandemic (March 2019-February 2020) and pandemic (September 2020-August 2021). There were 396 cases in total (204 pandemic and 192 pre-pandemic). Clinical, pathological, and temporal data were examined using IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 25 (Released 2017; IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, USA). Chi-square tests were used, and a p-value of less than 0.05 was deemed statistically significant. Results The number of patients receiving advanced-stage (Stage III-IV) diagnoses during the pandemic rose from 72 (37.50%) to 110 (53.92%), with Stage IV cases almost tripling from 17 (8.85%) to 33 (16.18%) (p < 0.05). Between Stage I and II, the number of early-stage patients decreased from 120 (62.50%) to 94 (46.08%). Treatment delays >60 days increased from 21 (10.94%) to 53 (25.78%), and diagnostic delays >60 days were more prevalent during the pandemic (75 patients, 36.76%) than before (51 patients, 26.56%). The average duration between diagnosis and therapy increased from 29.7 ± 14.8 to 42.3 ± 19.6 days, and from symptom onset to diagnosis, it increased from 47.6 ± 18.3 to 61.2 ± 21.5 days (p < 0.05). Conclusion The COVID-19 pandemic led to delayed diagnosis and a significant increase in advanced-stage breast cancer presentations in Pakistani women.
Related Concept Videos
01:21Cancer Survival Analysis
02:56Treatment Resistant Cancers
02:43Mouse Models of Cancer Study
The development of transgenic, knockout, and knock-in mice has led to an exponential increase in their use as model organisms in research,...
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...
02:07Tumor Progression
Colon cancer is one of the best-documented examples of tumor progression. Early mutation in the APC gene in colon cells causes a small growth on the colon wall called a polyp. With time, this polyp grows into a benign, pre-cancerous tumor. Further...
01:23Types of Biopharmaceutical Studies: Controlled and Non-Controlled Approaches
Non-controlled studies, commonly employed for initial exploration, lack a control group, rendering them susceptible to biases and external influences. In contrast,...