Perspectives of Patients Undergoing Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy for Breast Cancer During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in a lapse in routine health care and cancer screenings for many individuals. This study sought to improve our understanding of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on women being treated for breast cancer, both in general, and specifically related to their diagnosis.

Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted between August 2021 and February 2022 with women who were receiving neoadjuvant chemotherapy for early-stage breast cancer at the Stefanie Spielman Comprehensive Breast Center in Columbus, Ohio. Interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim. Transcripts were coded using deductive dominant thematic analysis and inductive coding that allowed for categorization of data as well as identification of emergent themes.

Results: Data collected from our 19 interviews revealed that the COVID-19 pandemic posed important challenges for breast cancer patients including fear of COVID-19 infection and feelings of isolation. Most interviewees noted they had been vaccinated against COVID-19 because of a desire to protect themselves and others from getting sick. Some women also expressed concerns about having delayed their screening mammograms due to the pandemic. Several patients described unexpected positive aspects of the pandemic such as being able to spend more time with family and having the ability to continue working because of the option to work from home during their cancer treatment.

Conclusions: Our findings provide important insight about the impact of COVID-19 on breast cancer patients. We highlight the positives that have been reported because of the pandemic, as well as the need to address delayed breast cancer screening.