A potential rise of breast cancer risk in the UAE post-COVID-19 lockdown: A call for action

Abstract

Introduction: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) was first detected in late December of 2019 with early reports of pneumonia-like symptoms from Wuhan, China. This outbreak has quickly caused major healthcare havoc, with the World Health Organization (WHO) recognizing it as a public health emergency of international concern and subsequently declaring it a global pandemic on March 11th, 2020 [1]. The first confirmed case in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) was reported on January 29th, 2020. As of April 6th, 2022, the current total case count has reached over 800,000 infections with a total of 2300 coronavirus-related deaths [2,3]. The UAE government took early and effective approaches, which all successfully played a crucial part in controlling the rate of infection [4]. Unfortunately, however, even with the implementation of these measures, the strain on the healthcare facilities necessitated the cessation of elective procedures and created gaps in many routine screening appointments for women seeking early detection of breast cancer. This delay in vital screening amidst the COVID-19 pandemic as reported by relevant clinical studies is thought to be responsible for the concerning spike in late-stage breast cancer cases across the country today [5]. The sudden reprioritization of care had a profound impact on oncological services, with a noticeable reduction in routine breast cancer screening programs such as mammograms and ultrasounds [6]. Additionally, there have been numerous reports of an increasing number of late-stage breast cancer diagnoses as an unintended effect of the pandemic’s early lockdowns and medical restrictions as described by early reports from global trends [7,8]. Oncology experts worldwide are expressing their fears over this new phenomenon known as the “Tsunami of Cancer”, where there will be an expected upscale in cancer diagnoses on a global level [9]. To date, there has been a lack of published papers in this context in the UAE. The aim of this commentary article is to highlight the implications surrounding breast cancer screening in the UAE and provide recommendations.