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Copyright of Argentinian Journal of Respiratory & Physical Therapy (AJRPT) is the property of Asociacion Civil Cientifica de Difusion y Promocion de la Kinesiologia and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Abstract Objectives: to analyze the impact of the covid-19 pandemic on screening, diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer in Pernambuco, Northeastern Brazil. Method: cross-sectional study, based on secondary data from consultations with a mastologist, ultrasound, mammogram, biopsies, new cases, chemotherapy, radiotherapy and surgery, carried out in women for the screening, diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer, from January to December of the years 2019 to 2021. Results: the covid-19 pandemic reduced consultations with mastology (46.3%), ultrasounds (34.8%), mammogram (41.5%), biopsy (49.6%), new cases 45.7 % and surgery 34.6% in 2020 compared to 2019. On the other hand, with the exception of consultations with a mastologist and surgeries, all services where a significant reduction was observed in 2020, increased significantly in 2021 and returned to the same level of production in the pre-pandemic period. The pandemic did not negatively affect the supply of chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Conclusions: the findings of this study indicate negative impacts on breast cancer care, due to covid-19, during the first year of the pandemic, especially in consultations with a mastologist and surgery, which continued with low production in 2021. It is reasonable to assume that the reduction observed in procedures may reflect an increase in late diagnoses and a higher mortality rate in the coming years

Rationale: Patient support lines (PSLs) assist in triaging clinical problems, addressing patient queries, and navigating a complex multi-disciplinary oncology team. While providing support and training to the nursing staff who operate these lines is key, there is limited data on their experience and feedback. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study of oncology nurses' (ONs') perspectives on the provision of care via PSLs at a tertiary referral cancer center via an anonymous, descriptive survey. Measures collected included nursing and patient characteristics, nature of questions addressed, perceived patient and nursing satisfaction with the service, common challenges faced, and initiatives to improve the patient and nursing experience. The survey was delivered online, with electronic data collection, and analysis is reported descriptively. Results: Seventy-one percent (30/42) of eligible ONs responded to the survey. The most common disease site, stage, and symptom addressed by PSLs were breast cancer, metastatic disease, and pain, respectively. The most common reported issue was treatment-related toxicity (96.7%, 29/30). Sixty-seven percent (20/30) of respondents were satisfied with the care provided by the service; however, many areas for potential improvement were identified. Fifty-nine percent (17/29) of respondents recommended redefining PSLs' responsibilities for improved use, with 75% (6/8) ONs identifying high call volumes due to inappropriate questions as a barrier to care. Sixty percent (18/30) of ONs reported having hospital-specific management plans for common issues would improve the care provided by the PSL. Conclusion: Despite high rates of satisfaction with the care provided by the PSL, our study identified several important areas for improvement which we feel warrant further investigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]