Breast cancer and cervical cancer: a comparison of the period before and during the COVID-19 pandemic

BMC Womens Health. 2024 Sep 3;24(1):485. doi: 10.1186/s12905-024-03325-3.

Abstract

Background: The coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic impacted cancer health care in several countries, with delays in the detection and treatment of breast and cervical cancer. The objective of this study is to analyze and compare the screening, diagnosis and treatment of breast and cervical cancer in the pre-COVID period and during the COVID-19 period.

Methods: Cross-sectional study with secondary data collected from the Mortality Information System (SIM), Hospital Information System (SIH), Ambulatory Information System (SIA) and the Oncology Panel (PO) of breast cancer notifications with ICD C50.0 to C50.9 and cervix ICD C53.0 to C53.9, The analyzed period before the pandemic was from March 1 to October 1, 2019, and during the pandemic from March 1 to October 1, 2020. The period from 2013 to 2022 was also analyzed with the same information, including the number of diagnoses, treatments, and deaths from breast cancer and cervical cancer. The study population consisted of Brazilian women aged 25 to 70 years. In order to compare categorical variables between periods, the Chi-Square or Fisher's Exact tests, and Mann-Whitney U tests were applied, and the Poisson Regression model was applied to model the number of reported cases of COVID-19 and the amount of procedures.

Results: There was a decrease in the number of mammograms and cytopathological exams during COVID-19, as well as a decrease in cases of breast and cervical cancer. The Poisson regression showed that the increase in the number of COVID-19 cases caused a decrease in the number of breast cytopathological examinations, cervical-vaginal cytopathological examinations/microflora and screening, diagnosis, initiation of treatment for breast cancer and deaths from this disease. Meanwhile, in some regions of Brazil, as the number of Covid-19 increased, there was a significantly increase in the number of mammograms performed and cervical cancer diagnoses.

Conclusions: The COVID-19 period in 2020 significantly impacted screening, diagnosis, treatment for breast and cervical cancer.

Keywords: Breast cancer; COVID-19; Cervical cancer.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Brazil / epidemiology
  • Breast Neoplasms* / diagnosis
  • Breast Neoplasms* / epidemiology
  • Breast Neoplasms* / pathology
  • COVID-19* / epidemiology
  • Cross-Sectional Studies
  • Early Detection of Cancer* / statistics & numerical data
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Middle Aged
  • SARS-CoV-2
  • Uterine Cervical Neoplasms* / diagnosis
  • Uterine Cervical Neoplasms* / epidemiology
  • Uterine Cervical Neoplasms* / pathology