COVID-related anxiety is prevalent and accurately reflects serious COVID risks in breast cancer patients.

Authors

null

Marisa C. Weiss

Breastcancer.org, Ardmore, PA

Marisa C. Weiss , Stephanie Kjelstrom , Meghan Buckley , Adam Leitenberger , Melissa Jenkins , Katherine Aliano Ruiz , Alexandra Berk , Donna-Marie Manasseh , Sharon Larson

Organizations

Breastcancer.org, Ardmore, PA, Main Line Health Center for Population Health Research at Lankenau Institute for Medical Research, Wynnewood, PA, Lankenau Institute for Medical Research, Wynnewood, PA, Ciitizen, Research and Real World Evidence, San Francisco, CA, Maimonides Medical Center, Brooklyn, NY

Research Funding

No funding received
None

Background: A current cancer diagnosis is a risk factor for serious COVID-19 complications (CDC). In addition, the pandemic has caused major disruptions in medical care and support networks, resulting in treatment delays, limited access to doctors, worsening health disparities, social isolation; and driving higher utilization of telemedicine and online resources. Breastcancer.org has experienced a sustained surge of new and repeat users seeking urgent information and support. To better understand these unmet needs, we conducted a survey of the Breastcancer.org Community. Methods: Members of the Breastcancer.org Community were invited to complete a survey on the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on their breast cancer care, including questions on demographics, comorbidities (including lung, heart, liver and kidney disease, asthma, diabetes, obesity, and other chronic health conditions); care delays, anxiety due to COVID-related care delays, use of telemedicine, and satisfaction with care during COVID. The survey was conducted between 4/27/2020-6/1/2020 using Survey Monkey. Results were tabulated and compared by chi square test. A p-value of 0.05 is considered significant. Data were analyzed using Stata 16.0 (Stata Corp., Inc, College Station, TX). Results: Our analysis included 568 breast cancer patients of whom 44% had ≥1 other comorbidities associated with serious COVID-19 complications (per CDC) and 37% had moderate to extreme anxiety about contracting COVID. This anxiety increased with the number of comorbidities (p=0.021), age (p=0.040), and with a current breast cancer diagnosis (p=0.011) (see table). Anxiety was significantly higher in those currently diagnosed, ≥65, or with ≥3 other comorbidities, compared to those diagnosed in the past, age <44, or without other comorbidities. Conclusions: Our survey reveals that COVID-related anxiety is prevalent at any age regardless of overall health status, but it increased with the number of other comorbidities, older age, and a current breast cancer diagnosis. Thus, reported anxiety is proportional to the risk of developing serious complications from COVID. Current breast cancer patients of all ages—especially with other comorbidities—require emotional support, safe access to their providers, and prioritization for vaccination.

Anxiety Level
P-value
No Anxiety
Slightly/Somewhat
Moderately/Extremely
Breast Cancer
0.011
 Past
33 (11.6)
164 (58.0)
86 (30.4)
 Current
28 (10.0)
134 (47.5)
120 (42.5)
Other Comorbidities
0.021
 0
43 (13.5)
170 (53.5)
105 (33.0)
 1
14 (8.1)
99 (57.2)
60 (34.7)
 2
3 (5.2)
24 (41.4)
31 (53.5)
 3
1 (9.1)
3 (27.3)
7 (63.6)
 4
0 (0)
2 (40.0)
3 (60.0)
Age
0.04
 25-34
0 (0)
4 (57.1)
3 (42.9)
 35-44
6 (12.0)
31 (62.0)
13 (26.0)
 45-54
19 (14.1)
74 (54.8)
42 (31.1)
 55-64
25 (13.7)
96 (52.5)
62 (33.9)
 65+
11 (5.8)
92 (49.0)
85 (45.2)

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Abstract Details

Meeting

2021 ASCO Annual Meeting

Session Type

Poster Session

Session Title

Symptoms and Survivorship

Track

Symptom Science and Palliative Care

Sub Track

Health Promotion/Behaviors

Citation

J Clin Oncol 39, 2021 (suppl 15; abstr 12053)

DOI

10.1200/JCO.2021.39.15_suppl.12053

Abstract #

12053

Poster Bd #

Online Only

Abstract Disclosures

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