COVID-19 may have taken a hit at breast cancer care. American Cancer Society's recommendation to postpone routine breast cancer screenings, may result in unknown long-term effects.

According to ABC News, on April 29, Richard Wender, chief cancer control officer for the ACS asked women to not visit any health care facility for routine cancer screening. It was not until July 2, the authorities announced the resumption of the mammogram screening but suggested that some women can choose to avoid a visit based on their history.

It is said that the delay in these appointments may have impacted "preventive treatments" for some. It is feared that these delays may cause unknown effects in breast cancer patients in the future.

"Originally, an issue was that we couldn't get mammograms for about six weeks in Georgia," Paulomi Shroff, a board-certified breast surgeon in Marietta, Georgia said. Meanwhile, some other places in the country had longer delays meaning that "women who had breast lumps would get pushed back in terms of getting them investigated."

As several hospitals and medical facilities focused on COVID-19 recovery treatment, they deprioritised breast cancer care. There was not only a delay in preventive measures but also people who were diagnosed with the disease prior to the pandemic had to deal with delay in treatment.

"A lot of different centres de-prioritized breast surgery," said Shroff, as she believes this impacted their access to medical practitioners. In addition, many patients are opting for less-invasive surgeries in order to avoid long stays at the hospital.

"In patients who might have otherwise wanted a mastectomy, if we could get away with a lumpectomy, we got away with a lumpectomy," Shroff explained.

During the interview, the doctor shared an experience with her patient who had atypia, an abnormality in cells in the tissue. While she had to wait three months for the surgery, it had progressed to cancer. Shroff says that she would have not waited for three months without treatment in a non-COVID era.

Breast scan
Regular self-checks for any unusual changes in the breast are important for detecting breast cancer early. iStock

Nevertheless, Jill Dietz president of the American Society of Breast Surgeons reveals that there are several societies that are working on new guidelines. They have collaborated to provide guidelines to doctors about breast cancer care for their patients during the pandemic. Meanwhile, Shroff urges women to visit their doctors without fear if they are practicing the preventive measures related to coronavirus disease.