The effect of COVID-19 on breast cancer care and treatment in North America: A scoping review

BACKGROUND: Breast Cancer (BC) is the most common cancer in women in the United States. The COVID-19 pandemic affected healthcare delivery throughout North America. Breast cancer diagnosis and management was similarly affected. METHODS: We conducted a scoping review to determine the impact of COVID-19 on BC care and the impact on patients’ well-being. RESULTS: Our review found that the pandemic led to changes in screenings, biopsies, medical therapy, and surgery. Constraints of the pandemic left patients without resources to navigate the emotional toll from social distancing. There was a disparity in patients’ perceptions of the impact of the pandemic on BC care. CONCLUSION: Although the pandemic altered medical care in general, we found that the impact on breast cancer care was counterintuitively not as significant as predicted. However, the pandemic did impact breast cancer patients’ mental well-being. This highlights the importance of properly communicating, in real-time, guidelines on breast cancer management to allay the fears of the general public.