Publication date: Jun 30, 2025
Introduction The COVID-19 pandemic led to restrictions in public life and significantly impaired treatment processes for oncological treatments. In this trial we compared breast cancer (BC) patients’ psychological stress before and after the availability of vaccines against COVID-19. Methods Patients that received preoperative, postoperative or palliative treatment for their BC diagnosis during the COVID-19 pandemic between 2020 and 2022 were included. Cohort 1 comprised of patients prior to availability of vaccines and Cohort 2 compromised of patients from 2021 when vaccines against COVID-19 were available. We evaluated differences in mental state, influencing factors on quality of Life (QoL) and factors causing distress during their BC treatments by several questionnaires. Results When comparing 81 82 BC patients (Cohort 1) with 92 91 patients (Cohort 2) we found quite similar psychosocial parameters and secondary diagnoses. Eighty-five patients (93. 41%) in Cohort 2 had been vaccinated. The cohorts did not differ regarding their concern towards the pandemic. We found that stress caused by insecurity (19. 00 [11. 00-26. 00] in Cohort 1 vs. 16. 00 [10. 00-21. 00) in Cohort 2 [p=0. 050]) and stress by loss (11. 00 [9. 00-16. 00] in Cohort 1 vs. 10. 00 [7. 00-13. 00] in Cohort 2 [p=0. 047]) decreased in Cohort 2 while all other parameters of distress did not show differences. Patients in Cohort 2 felt moderate burden due to restriction of accompanying persons and visits during hospitalization without corresponding changes to the QoL. In contrast, their own vaccination and the vaccination of their relatives showed positive impact on their QoL. Vaccination appeared to only minimally affect everyday behavior. Conclusion This trial shows that vaccination against COVID-19 only had limited influence on the distress of BC patients. This trial shows positive psychological vaccination effects with only a limited influence on the distress of BC patients.
| Concepts | Keywords |
|---|---|
| Postoperative | Availability |
| Psychosocial | Breast |
| Relatives | Cohort |
| Vaccines | Covid |
| Distress | |
| Pandemic | |
| Patients | |
| Psychological | |
| Qol | |
| Stress | |
| Treatment | |
| Treatments | |
| Trial | |
| Vaccination | |
| Vaccines |
Semantics
| Type | Source | Name |
|---|---|---|
| disease | MESH | Psychological stress |
| disease | MESH | breast cancer |
| pathway | KEGG | Breast cancer |
| disease | MESH | COVID-19 pandemic |
| disease | IDO | quality |