Interim Breast Cancer Care during the COVID-19 Pandemic

The rise of SARS CoV-2, a respiratory disease known as COVID-19, presents unique care delivery challenges to cancer patients and their providers. An emerging theme is the significantly increased susceptibility of infection with COVID-19 among patients with cancer, as well as in those with hospital admission and recurrent hospital visits [1]. Early reports from China estimate that cancer patients incur a significantly increased risk of invasive ventilation, ICU admission or mortality compared to patients without cancer [2]. A New York hospital system documented 218 COVID-19 cancer patients from March 18 to April 8, 20203. Hospital system staff reported 28% of COVID-19 deaths in cancer patients, compared to 14% in the control group, suggesting a growing need for strategies to reduce exposure risk [3]. As hospitals became overburdened with COVID-19 patients, policies and procedures were created or modified and implemented swiftly (in response to local conditions or due to evolving State or County guidelines) to prevent increased exposure among these patients, ultimately interrupting routine cancer screenings and scheduled therapies.