Management of Breast Cancer Patients During the Coronavirus Disease 2019 Pandemic: The Experience From the Epicenter of China, Wuhan

Abstract

Background: The coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic is a global public health event. Wuhan used to be the epicenter of China and finally controlled the outbreak through city lockdown and many other policies. However, the pandemic and the prevention strategies had a huge impact on the medical care procedures for patients with breast cancer, leading to the delay or interruption of anticancer therapies.

Patients and methods: To better serve patients with breast cancer under the premise of epidemic control, many strategies have been proposed and optimized in our center. One of the most important parts of these strategies is the promotion of telemedicine, including online consultation, online prescription, and drug mailing services.

Results: In keeping with the city and hospital policies, we have also introduced stricter ward management policies and more precise care.

Conclusion: Here, we collected the diagnosis and treatment process of patients with breast cancer in our center during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, which was found to be correlated to a reduction in chemotherapy-related myelosuppression and hepatic dysfunction, hoping to provide a reference for other cancer centers that may suffer from the similar situation.

Keywords: Chemotherapy; Hepatic Dysfunction; Myelosuppression; Side effects; Telemedicine.