Impact of coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic on breast cancer screening and detection of high-risk mammographic findings

SUMMARY

OBJECTIVE:

The coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic has disrupted cancer screening worldwide. This study aims to analyze the changes in the rates of screening mammograms and BIRADS 4 or 5 mammograms during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic in the opportunistic scenario.

METHODS:

We integrated three different public databases from the state of São Paulo, Brazil, to obtain the rate of screening mammograms per 1,000, and the rate of BIRADS 4 or 5 mammograms per 100,000 women aged from 50 to 69 years in the years from January 2017 to December 2020.

RESULTS:

The mean monthly screening mammograms decreased from 14.8/1,000 in 2019 to 9.25/1,000 in 2020, with the lowest rates being recorded in May 2020 (3.1/1,000). The mean monthly high-risk mammograms decreased from 12.8/100,000 in 2019 to 9.1/100,000 in 2020, with the lowest rates being recorded in April 2020 (4.3/100,000).

CONCLUSIONS:

Coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic significantly decreased mammography screening in an opportunistic scenario, a warning sign for decreasing diagnosis of breast cancer in early stages, and increasing advanced stage diagnosis and mortality in the future.

KEYWORDS:
Breast neoplasms; Early detection of cancer; COVID-19; Mammography