Scientific publications

GEICAM Guidelines for the Management of Patients With Breast Cancer During Spain's COVID-19 Pandemic

Jul 11, 2020 | Magazine: Oncologist

Miguel Martin (1,2), Angel Guerrero-Zotano (3), Ángel Montero (4), Carlos Jara (5), Elena Filipovich (6), Federico Rojo (2, 7), Fernando Moreno (8), Jose Ángel García Sáenz (2, 8), Jose Enrique Alés (6), José Ignacio Chacón (9), Josefina Cruz (10), Julia Gimenez (11), Luis Cruz-Merino (12), Manel Algara (13), Marta Santisteban (14), Sara López Tarruella (1, 2), GEICAM Spanish Breast Cancer


Breast cancer (BC) is the most common cancer in women in Spain. During the COVID-19 pandemic caused by the SARS-Cov-2 virus, patients with BC require timely treatment and follow-up.

However, not only are hospitals overwhelmed with infected patients, some patients with BC are at higher risk for infection and for serious complications if infected. Thus, health care providers need to evaluate each BC treatment and in-hospital visit to minimize pandemic-associated risks while maintaining adequate treatment efficacy.

Here we present a set of guidelines regarding available options for BC patient management and treatments by BC subtype in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Owing to the lack of evidence about COVID-19 infection, these recommendations are mainly based in expert opinion, medical organizations' and societies' recommendations, and some published evidence. We consider this a useful tool to facilitate medical decision making in this health crisis situation we are facing.

IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: This work presents a set of guidelines regarding available options for breast cancer (BC) patient management and treatments by BC subtype in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Owing to the suddenness of this health crisis, specialists have to make decisions with little evidence at hand.

Thus, these expert guidelines may be a useful tool to facilitate medical decision making in the context of a worldwide pandemic with no resources to spare.

CITA DEL ARTÍCULO  Oncologist. 2020 Jul 11.  doi: 10.1634/theoncologist.2020-0363