EFEITOS DA PANDEMIA DE COVID-19 NO DIAGNÓSTICO DO CÂNCER DE MAMA EM HOSPITAL DE REFERÊNCIA DA PARAÍBA

Abstract

Breast cancer represents the most prevalent and lethal neoplasm in women today. It can be subclassified based on histology, immunohistochemistry, degree of differentiation, and carried oncogenes. Objective: The aim of the project is to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the diagnosis of breast cancer in the state of Paraíba. Methodology: This is an observational cross-sectional study, quantitative, and predominantly descriptive, conducted through the collection of information regarding histological, sociodemographic, and clinical characteristics. Data collection was performed from medical records, gathering epidemiological and current tumor characteristics. Descriptive analysis of the obtained data was conducted by comparing multiple variables collected from breast cancer diagnosis at two time points: pandemic (2020 and 2021) and control (2019 and 2022) periods, as well as by comparing these variables using the Chi-Square and the Fisher’s exact test when feasible. Results: The data indicate a detriment in the initial staging of patients, as they presented proportionally more advanced stages during the pandemic period compared to the control period. Furthermore, there was a notable decrease in annual diagnoses at the institution in question that was not recovered in 2022. Conclusion: We conclude that between the pandemic and control periods, there was a predominance of more advanced early clinical stages during the pandemic, illustrating that the detriments of COVID translated into harm for breast cancer patients. Given that early diagnosis is crucial for optimal outcomes, this situation resonates both in the lives of patients and in the cost to the healthcare system, in the short and medium term, as interventions in advanced neoplasms are notably more costly compared to early-stage neoplasms.