THE FIRST WAVE OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC AND ITS IMPACT ON THE LEVEL OF DISTRESS IN PATIENTS WITH BREAST CANCER, A MULTICENTRIC STUDY

Background: Information on the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), later termed coronavirus disease (COVID-19), first emerged by the end of 2019. As the pandemic spread, cancer patients were immediately recognized as a high-risk population with regard to COVID-19 infection. Moreover, epidemiological measures, like social distancing and lockdowns, additionally burdened patients with cancer. Even outside pandemic breast cancer patients are prone to psychological distress with prevalence ranging approximately 20-40%. This multicentric study aimed to examine the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the level of distress among breast cancer patients in Croatia while the first wave of COVID-19 pandemic. Subjects and methods: Fife hundred forty-five breast cancer patients were offered to participate in the study. A total of two hundred and one patient, with disease stages ranging I-IV, completed the questionnaire. The questionnaire consisted of disease and socio-demographic characteristics followed by the Distress Thermometer and a problem list. The cut off value of 4 was used to define the high level of distress within Distress Thermometer. Results: High distress level was reported in 54.2% of patients. The most significant problems reported by the participants of our study affected emotions, causing worry, sadness, depression, fear, and nervousness. Additionally, specific practical problems emerged (e.g., child care, housing, and work/school), most probably partly due to the lockdowns and social distancing. Interestingly enough, none of the socio-demographic or disease characteristics were linked to the level of distress. Conclusions: During first wave of COVID-19 pandemic more than half of breast cancer patients, undergoing active oncologic treatment, experienced a high level of distress. Therefore, distress driven by the COVID-19 pandemic should be promptly addressed and additional psychological and social support, targeting specific practical and emotional problems, should be provided for those patients. All the more so as global COVID-19 pandemic far exceeded the duration of the first wave.