2Department of Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology, Acibadem Altunizade Hospital, İstanbul-Türkiye
3Department of Emergency, Acibadem Altunizade Hospital, İstanbul-Türkiye
4Department of Internal Medicine and Oncology, Acıbadem University Faculty of Medicine, İstanbul-Türkiye DOI : 10.5505/tjo.2022.3692 OBJECTIVE
COVID-19 pandemic has placed an unprecedented burden on health-care system. Patients with cancer are reported to have a higher risk of infection and a more complicated COVID-19 course. Breast cancer (BC) is the most common cancer in women in Turkey. We report clinical outcomes and characteristics of patients with COVID-19 who were on treatment for BC at our center.
METHODS
We reviewed medical records of BC patients who had COVID-19 between July 2020 and 2021 at
our center. We recorded pathological, clinical, treatment characteristics, and the clinical outcome of
COVID-19 infection.
RESULTS
A total 82 BC patients had COVID-19 between July 2020 and 2021. All patients were female, with a median
age of 49 (43-64 years). 85% of all patients had early and 14.6% of them had advanced stage BC. COVID-19
had a mild clinical course in 73%, hospitalization was required in 27% of patients. Twenty-five patients
who required hospitalization were discharged and three patients died due to COVID-19. All of the patients
who died from COVID-19 had metastatic BC (p=0.002). Metastatic disease (p=0.002) and chemotherapy
within 7 days of COVID-19 diagnosis (p=0.024) have been associated with increased mortality.
CONCLUSION
Majority of BC patients with COVID-19 have a mild course, patients with risk factors that increase
mortality should be followed more carefully.