Introduction
Patients with breast cancer should undergo regular follow-up throughout
the course of their treatment. However, the novel coronavirus disease
2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has readily hampered the continuation of breast
cancer care in many parts of the world and Japan is no exception. In
Japan, one of the first cases of COVID-19 was detected in March 2020 in
Tokyo, and from April to May 2020, the Japanese government declared a
state of emergency in Tokyo and some other prefectures as the daily
number of COVID-19 cases increased exponentially. Consequently, the
majority of the hospitals restricted out-patient visits as an infection
control measure against COVID-19.1 In addition, some
patients refrained from visiting hospitals to avoid contracting the
virus.2 However, there is not enough information
regarding breast cancer patients who are disproportionately affected by
the COVID-19 pandemic in terms of continuation of care.
Herein, we present the case of a patient with advanced breast cancer who
resided in a remote area and could not undergo in-person follow-up.
Despite undergoing remote video consultations routinely, she did not
receive comprehensive breast cancer care during the COVID-19 pandemic,
which resulted in delayed detection of liver metastasis.