Abstract S07-02: Patient-reported outcomes of breast cancer patients during the COVID-19 outbreak in the epicenter of China: A cross-sectional survey study

Abstract

Purpose: We aimed to analyze the psychological status of breast cancer (BC) patients in the epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic. Patients and Methods: A total of 658 individuals were recruited from multiple breast cancer centers in Hubei Province. Online questionnaires were conducted and included demographic information, clinical features, and four patient-reported outcomes (PROs) scales (GAP-7, PHQ-9, ISI, and IES-R). Multivariable logistic regression analysis was designed to identify potential factors on mental health outcomes. Results: Questionnaires were collected from February 16 to 19, 2020, the peak time point of COVID-19 outbreak in China. 46.2% of BC patients had to modify planned necessary anticancer treatment during the outbreak. 8.9% and 9.3% of patients reported severe anxiety and severe depression, respectively. 20.8% and 4.0% of patients showed severe distress and insomnia, respectively. Multivariable logistic regression analysis demonstrated poor general condition, shorter duration after BC diagnosis, aggressive BC molecular subtypes, and close contact with COVID-19 patients as independent factors associated with anxiety. Poor general condition and CVC (central venous catheter) flushing delay were factors independently associated with depression. In terms of insomnia, poor general condition was the only associated independent factor. Poor physical condition and treatment discontinuation were underlying risk factors for distress based on multivariable analysis. Conclusion: High rates of anxiety, depression, distress, and insomnia were observed in patients with breast cancer during the COVID-19 outbreak. Special attention should be paid to the psychological status of breast cancer patients, especially those with poor general condition, treatment discontinuation, aggressive molecular subtypes, and metastatic breast cancer. Citation Format: Juanjuan Li, Cesar Augusto Santa-Maria, Hongfang Feng, Lingcheng Wang, Pengcheng Zhang, Yuangbing Xu, Yuyan Tan, Zhongchun Liu, Bo Du, Meng Lan, Qingfeng Yang, Feng Yao, Yi Tu, Shengrong Sun, Xingrui Li, Chuang Chen. Patient-reported outcomes of breast cancer patients during the COVID-19 outbreak in the epicenter of China: A cross-sectional survey study [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Virtual Meeting: COVID-19 and Cancer; 2020 Jul 20-22. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Clin Cancer Res 2020;26(18_Suppl):Abstract nr S07-02.

Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Oncology Patients’ Mental Health and Treatment Plans

“…This is consistent with Miaskowski et al's work (2020), where they observed that 71.2% of oncology patients were considerably affected by depression during the outbreak [15]. Other papers reported a prevalence of depression ranging from 25.2% to 58% [13,14,16,[19][20][21][22].…”

The Psychological Distress of Cancer Patients following the COVID-19 Pandemic First Lockdown: Results from a Large French Survey

“…In the review by Ayubi et al [ 24 ], which assessed anxiety in studies that used various validated questionnaires, prevalence in cancer patients could exceed 30% during the pandemic. In the studies by JuanJuan et al [ 25 ] and Joly et al [ 18 ], moderate to severe PTSD symptoms (IES-R score ≥ 33) was found for 52.3% and 21% of patients, respectively. JuanJuan et al’s study [ 25 ] had a particularly high prevalence of PTSD; this can be explained by the fact that it was conducted in the Hubei province of China—the epicentre of COVID-19—at the peak time point of the crisis in the country (February 2020).…”

“…In the studies by JuanJuan et al [ 25 ] and Joly et al [ 18 ], moderate to severe PTSD symptoms (IES-R score ≥ 33) was found for 52.3% and 21% of patients, respectively. JuanJuan et al’s study [ 25 ] had a particularly high prevalence of PTSD; this can be explained by the fact that it was conducted in the Hubei province of China—the epicentre of COVID-19—at the peak time point of the crisis in the country (February 2020). The prevalence in Joly et al’s French study was higher than the value we found (21% vs. 14.7%), but that study was conducted during the first lockdown (April/May 2020), unlike ours, which was conducted a month after the lockdown ended.…”

“…Adjustments to oncology care delivery to reduce the risk of COVID-19, including delays in or disruption to treatment, expose patients to a very strong additional risk of anxiety [ 18 , 25 , 30 ]. This was confirmed in our study since dissatisfaction with cancer management during the COVID pandemic was a predictor for anxiety.…”

The Role of the Psycho-Oncologist during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Clinical Breast Cancer Case Report

“…During the COVID-19 period, cancer patients experienced clinically significant levels of psychological distress (i.e., anxious and depressive symptoms), pain, and insomnia [ 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 ]. In addition, immunosuppression associated with cancer treatments (e.g., chemotherapy) resulted in a greater risk of infection of COVID-19 for oncological patients in treatment compared to the general population [ 3 ].…”