Impacts of late screening and diagnosis of breast cancer: an integrative literature review

Resumo

Objective: To analyze the impacts of late screening and diagnosis of breast cancer and its implications for medicine and
women’s health. Methods: This is an integrative review, carried out between February and March 2025, on the following
databases: Virtual Health Library (VHL), MEDLINE/PubMed (via the National Library of Medicine), Scopus, and Web of
Science Core Collection (Clarivate Analytics). Cross-sectional, cohort, or case-control studies published in the last five
years were considered. The studies were independently selected by two reviewers using the Rayyan® literature review
manager. Results: Fifty-eight of the 186 studies identified were duplicates. Ninety-three were excluded for not meeting the
eligibility criteria, resulting in 35 articles. Late screening and diagnosis had a negative impact on women’s health, such as
psychological and clinical consequences, lower adherence to treatment, higher risk of metastasis due to diagnosis at an
advanced stage, more aggressive treatments, worse prognosis, lower survival, increased risk of mortality, and higher costs
for health services. Conclusion: The impacts shown could support the actions of managers and professionals in terms of
efficient care and holistic monitoring, as well as improving indicators, reducing costs for health services, and increasing
the quality of life of women diagnosed with breast cancer.