Year: 2024
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: OBJECTIVE: To assess the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on breast cancer screening. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional and retrospective study, which used data extracted from "TABNET" between 2014 to 2020. Statistical analysis was carried out using the ANOVA model. RESULT: In 2019, a total of 3,068,776 mammograms were conducted, which significantly decreased to 1,808,765 in 2020. Since the onset of the pandemic in Brazil in March 2020, there has been a reduction in the number of mammograms performed. Mammography coverage increased from 0.11 to 0.18 between 2014 and 2019 but sharply declined from 0.18 to 0.10 between 2019 and 2020. CONCLUSION: The COVID-19 pandemic has had a detrimental impact on breast cancer screening efforts, especially in detecting the disease in early stages. Health services shifted their focus towards caring for COVID-19 patients, therefore neglecting routine screening programs and interventions. Additionally, the population's fear of contagion contributed to a decrease in demand for screening tests.
Authors: Kely Stevanato, Fernando Pelloso, Deise Borghesan, Helena Ribeiro, Maria Carvalho, Sandra Ribeiro
Language: English
Subfield: Oncology
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $200
OpenAlex ID: W4402013145