• Christina A Minami, Olga Kantor, Anna Weiss, Faina Nakhlis, Tari A King, and Elizabeth A Mittendorf.
• Division of Breast Surgery, Department of Surgery, Brigham and Women's Hospital, and Breast Oncology Program, Dana-Farber/Brigham and Women's Cancer Center, Boston, MA.
• J. Am. Coll. Surg. 2020 Oct 1; 231 (4): 434-447.e2.

BackgroundDuring the COVID-19 pandemic, surgical delays have been common for patients with ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) and early-stage estrogen receptor-positive (ER+) breast cancer, often in favor of neoadjuvant endocrine therapy (NET). To understand possible ramifications of these delays, we examined the association between time to operation and pathologic staging and overall survival (OS).Study DesignPatients with DCIS or ER+ cT1-2N0 breast cancer treated from 2010 through 2016 were identified in the National Cancer Database. Time to operation was recorded. Factors associated with pathologic upstaging were examined using logistic regression analyses. Cox proportional hazard models were used to analyze OS. Analyses were stratified by disease stage and initial treatment strategy.ResultsThere were 378,839 patients identified. Among those undergoing primary surgical procedure, time to operation was within 120 days in > 98% in all groups. Among cT1-2N0 patients selected for NET, operations were performed within 120 days in 59.6% of cT1N0 and 30.9% of cT2N0 patients. Increased time to operation was associated with increased odds of pathologic upstaging in DCIS patients (ER+: 60 to 120 days: odds ratio 1.15; 95% CI, 1.08 to 1.22; more than 120 days: odds ratio 1.44; 95% CI, 1.24 to 1.68; ER-: 60 to 120 days: NS; more than 120 days: odds ratio 1.36; 95% CI, 1.01 to 1.82; 60 days or less: reference), but not in patients with invasive cancer, irrespective of initial treatment strategy. No difference in OS was seen by time to operation in DCIS or NET patients.ConclusionsIncreased time to operation was associated with a small increase in pathologic upstaging in DCIS patients, but did not impact OS. In patients with cT1-2N0 disease, NET use did not impact stage or OS, supporting the safety of delay strategies in ER+ breast cancer patients during the pandemic.Copyright © 2020 American College of Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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