RESUMO
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.
Assuntos
Neoplasias da Mama/diagnóstico , Infecções por Coronavirus/epidemiologia , Detecção Precoce de Câncer , Programas de Rastreamento/tendências , Pneumonia Viral/epidemiologia , Idoso , Betacoronavirus/patogenicidade , Neoplasias da Mama/complicações , Neoplasias da Mama/epidemiologia , COVID-19 , Infecções por Coronavirus/complicações , Infecções por Coronavirus/virologia , Feminino , Humanos , Mamografia , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Pandemias , Pneumonia Viral/complicações , Pneumonia Viral/virologia , SARS-CoV-2RESUMO
Italy introduced social distancing measures, which limited the spread of COVID-19; all the non-life-threatening treatments have been temporarily suspended, including screening programs. This decision leads to unintended effects on the ability to detected neoplasia in their first stages. Possible future outcomes of the ability to detect new breast cancer cases based on two alternative scenarios show that the reduction in organized screening activities will limit the ability to detect no <3.43% of the new cases; the economic crisis will reduce voluntary screening, increasing the undetected new cases up to 11.73%. Cases diagnosed with delay will show up in their advanced stage along with unknown effects on mortality and health care costs. Global health care policies should be implemented to counterbalance these adverse effects.