COVID-19 is changing all aspects of medical care for all people with breast cancer. Guidelines and best practices for providing care during this critical time are continually revised and updated as new strategies are discovered and implemented. Below you will find updated information on recommendations for general care, insight to help you determine whether or not surgery or radiation will be delayed, and recommendations for breast cancer screenings. Be sure to talk to your doctor to learn how your hospital is managing care during this time.
For all COVID-19 related information, as well as individual cancer centers’ responses to care during COVID-19, visit the COVID-19 & Cancer main page.
Cancer Care Advice and Guidelines
- Dr. Laura Esserman: Returning to Cancer Care in the Time of COVID Dr. Esserman of the WISDOM study provides insight for patients looking to restart their cancer treatment during the pandemic.
- Coping with Metastatic Breast Cancer in the Age of COVID-19 Healthline provides advice and resources for managing metastatic breast cancer care in the wake of COVID-19.
- Mortality From COVID-19 Increases in Patients Receiving Systemic Cancer Treatments CURE Magazine discusses how COVID-19 can impact people receiving chemoimmunotherapy treatment.
- COVID-19 and breast cancer care in the southern U.S (Video) LBBC interviews a Houston oncologist about the local impact of COVID on breast cancer care.
- Common Questions About COVID-19 and Cancer: Answers for Patients and Survivors Cancer.net provides weekly updates on the impact of COVID on breast cancer care.
- COVID-19 Pandemic Forces Changes in Breast Cancer Treatment Pharmacy Times provides a short summary on how breast cancer care has changed in the wake of COVID.
Radiation Oncology
- Radiation therapy during the coronavirus outbreak and what comes next LBBC breaks down some of the common concerns patients have surrounding radiation therapy during COVID.
- COVID-19 Clinical Guidance The American Society for Radiation Oncology provides detailed guidelines for cancer patients navigating radiation therapy.
Breast Cancer Surgeries
- Resuming Breast Cancer Surgeries After COVID-19 Breastcancer.org has a short video collections discussing some of the considerations breast cancer patients should make before having surgery and other related issues.
- Guidelines on Delaying Cancer Surgery During COVID-19 Medscape details guidelines designed to help someone decide to continue with or delay their cancer surgery.
- Was Your Breast Cancer Surgery Delayed Due To COVID-19? BIDMC provides advice for patients who had their breast cancer surgeries delayed due to the pandemic.
- Breast Cancer Surgery After the COVID-19 Pandemic Future Medicine expands on how breast cancer surgeries have changed in the wake of COVID-19.
Cancer Screening/Monitoring
- Real Burden of Cancer “Won’t Go Away” Because of COVID-19 In a podcast, the American Cancer Society discusses the importance of encouraging cancer screenings during the pandemic.
- Getting cancer screening back on track during COVID-19 CURE Magazine explains why people may have delayed cancer screenings during COVID and the future impact that could have on advanced diagnoses.
- New Study Finds COVID-19 Substantially Reduced Cancer Screenings, Diagnosis, and Treatments in 2020 The Community Oncology Alliance outlines the findings of a study investigating the impact of COVID on cancer screenings.
- Breast Cancer Screening and COVID-19: What Patients Need to Know Now The Breast Cancer Research Foundation compares the impact of COVID on breast cancer screenings at the beginning of the pandemic to screenings today.
- Breast Cancer Screening is Still Important During the COVID-19 Pandemic The American Cancer Society discusses how to navigate breast cancer screenings during COVID.
Last Modified on September 27, 2023