Cancer Management and Research (Jan 2024)
Resumption of Intravenous Anti-Cancer Therapy in Breast Cancer: A Real-World Experience During the SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic
Abstract
Fang Yang,1,* Cong Li,2,* Yuling Qiu,1 Xinjie Chen,3 Kelin Zheng,4 Donglin Kang,5 Yin Zhang,2 Baorui Liu,1 Yongzhong Yao,2 Li Xie1 1The Comprehensive Cancer Center of Drum Tower Hospital, Medical School of Nanjing University & Clinical Cancer Institute of Nanjing University, Nanjing, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Breast Surgery, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, The Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University Medical School, Nanjing, People’s Republic of China; 3The Comprehensive Cancer Center, China Pharmaceutical University Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, Nanjing, People’s Republic of China; 4Department of the Comprehensive Cancer Center, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital Clinical College of Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, People’s Republic of China; 5Department of the Comprehensive Cancer Center, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital Clinical College of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Li Xie, The Comprehensive Cancer Center of Drum Tower Hospital, Medical School of Nanjing University & Clinical Cancer Institute of Nanjing University, Nanjing, People’s Republic of China, Email [email protected] Yongzhong Yao, Department of Breast Surgery, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, The Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University Medical School, Nanjing, People’s Republic of China, Tel/Fax +86-025-83106666, Email [email protected]: The coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection, has delayed medical consultations, especially for patients receiving intravenous anti-cancer therapy. We aim to investigate alterations in immune function among breast cancer patients who experience delayed intravenous therapy due to SARS-CoV-2 infection.Patients and Methods: We performed an observational investigation of breast cancer patients in Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital from December 27, 2022, to January 20, 2023. Patients who recovered from SARS-CoV-2 infection were eligible for enrollment. Peripheral blood samples were taken prior to the restart of intravenous anti-cancer therapy to examine hematologic parameters.Results: A total of 131 patients were included in the final analysis. Cough (74.0%), fever (62.6%), and expectoration (46.6%) were identified as the most presenting symptoms of SARS-CoV-2 infection in breast cancer. The average nucleic acid conversion time and delayed treatment time was 13.4 days and 13.9 days, respectively. The patients > 60 years old experienced prolonged nucleic acid conversion time (P = 0.017) and delayed treatment time (P = 0.028) compared to those
