Global impact of pandemic by SARS-CoV-2 on breast cancer diagnosis and screening

ABSTRACT

Introduction: The pandemic related to the new coronavirus is characterized by high rates of contamination, transmissibility, and mortality. The measures of social isolation adopted by the World Health Organization and corroborated by several countries, with a view to avoiding or minimizing the transmission of COVID-19, can lead to the reduction of the capacity of screening and diagnosis of diseases, such as breast cancer. Objective: This study aimed to analyze the diagnostic indexes and mamaria malignancy diagnosis test, such as mammogram, during the COVID-19 pandemic period. Methodology: Systematic review of the literature based on studies found in the PubMed, SciELO, LILACS, and ScienceDirect databases. Results: The six selected articles demonstrate a reduction in the diagnosis of breast cancer during the pandemic, although with discordant rates. Outcomes such as reduced number of mammograms and change in tumor stage were also analyzed. Conclusion: It is essential to maintain care with the screening, diagnosis, and treatment of breast cancer, in order to minimize the damage caused over more than 1 year of COVID-19 pandemic.