Effects of COVID-19 on Surgical Delays in Patients with Breast Cancer in NYC Public Hospitals: A Multicenter Study

BACKGROUND: Increased time to surgery (TTS) is associated with decreased survival in patients with breast cancer. In early 2020, elective surgeries were canceled to preserve resources for patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). This study attempts to measure the effect of mandated operating room shutdowns on TTS in patients with breast cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This multicenter retrospective study compares 51 patients diagnosed with breast cancer at four public hospitals from January to June 2020 with 353 patients diagnosed from January 2017 to June 2018. Demographics, tumor characteristics, treatment regimens, and TTS for patients were statistically compared using parametric, nonparametric, and Cox proportional hazards regression modeling. RESULTS: Across all centers, there was a non-statistically significant increase in median TTS from 59 days in the pre-COVID period to 65 days during COVID (p = 0.9). There was, however, meaningful variation across centers. At center A, the median TTS decreased from 57 to 51 days, center C’s TTS decreased from 83 to 64 days, and in center D, TTS increased from 42 to 129 days. In a multivariable Cox proportional hazards model for the pre-COVID versus COVID period effect on TTS, center was an important confounding variable, with notable differences for centers C and D compared with the referent category of center A (p = 0.04, p = 0.006). CONCLUSION: Data suggest that, while mandated operating room shutdowns did not result in an overall statistically significant delay in TTS, there were important differences between centers, indicating that, even in a unified multicenter public hospital system, COVID-19 may have resulted in delayed and potentially disparate care.