{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,5]],"date-time":"2026-01-05T17:20:35Z","timestamp":1767633635513,"version":"3.48.0"},"reference-count":38,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"1","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,2]],"date-time":"2026-01-02T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1767312000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"\u201cVictor Babe\u0219\u201d University of Medicine and Pharmacy Timi\u0219oara"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["JCM"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background: The COVID-19 pandemic raised uncertainties regarding the safe timing of breast cancer surgery after SARS-CoV-2 infection, and robust prospective evidence has remained limited. Methods: We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies (2020\u20132024) investigating postoperative outcomes in breast cancer patients with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection \u226490 days before surgery versus contemporaneous non-infected controls treated at the same institutions and in the same period. PROSPERO CRD420251174613. Random-effects models (DerSimonian\u2013Laird with Hartung\u2013Knapp adjustment) were used to pool odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Study quality was assessed with the Newcastle\u2013Ottawa Scale, and certainty of evidence was rated using GRADE. Results: Twelve prospective cohort studies, including 7812 patients, compared breast cancer surgery after recent confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection over 90 days with contemporaneous non-infected controls treated at the same centres. Overall, recent infection was associated with higher 30-day postoperative complications (Clavien\u2013Dindo \u2265 II) compared to. non-infected patients (OR 2.01, 95% CI 1.44\u20132.81) and increased venous thromboembolism (3.6%vs. 1.2%; OR 3.12, 95% CI 1.29\u20137.55). Early surgery 14 days after infection carried the highest risk of complications (OR 4.38, 95 CI 2.31\u20138.30), whereas operations performed \u22656 weeks yielded outcomes comparable to non-infected controls (OR 1.03, 95 CI 0.81\u20131.31); 30-day mortality remained very low (0.3). Conclusions: Breast cancer surgery after SARS-CoV-2 infection is associated with excess perioperative risk only when performed within the first two weeks. Delaying surgery to approximately six weeks minimises complications and VTE without compromising short-term safety.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/jcm15010341","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,2]],"date-time":"2026-01-02T11:11:46Z","timestamp":1767352306000},"page":"341","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Surgical Timing and Safety of Breast Cancer Operations After COVID-19: A Prospective-Only Meta-Analysis of Cohort Studies"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"15","author":[{"given":"Ioana-Georgiana","family":"Cotet","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of General Medicine, Doctoral School, \u201cVictor Babes\u201d University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Eftimie Murgu Square 2, 300041 Timisoara, Romania"},{"name":"Centre of Molecular Research in Nephrology and Vascular Disease, University of Medicine and Pharmacy \u201cVictor Babes\u201d Timisoara, Eftimie Murgu Square, Nr. 2, 300041 Timisoara, Romania"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0009-4951-1702","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Diana-Maria","family":"Mateescu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of General Medicine, Doctoral School, \u201cVictor Babes\u201d University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Eftimie Murgu Square 2, 300041 Timisoara, Romania"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Dragos-Mihai","family":"Gavrilescu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Orthodontics, Dental District, Strada Z\u0103gazului Nr. 3, One Floreasca Vista, Sector 1, 014261 Bucharest, Romania"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Andrei","family":"Marginean","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Surgery, \u201cDr. Victor Popescu\u201d Emergency Military Hospital, 9 Gheorghe Laz\u0103r Street, 300080 Timi\u0219oara, Romania"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Stefania","family":"Serban","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of General Medicine, Doctoral School, \u201cVictor Babes\u201d University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Eftimie Murgu Square 2, 300041 Timisoara, Romania"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Adrian-Cosmin","family":"Ilie","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Public Health and Sanitary Management, \u201cVictor Babes\u201d University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Eftimie Murgu Square 2, 300041 Timisoara, Romania"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Cristina","family":"Guse","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of General Medicine, Doctoral School, \u201cVictor Babes\u201d University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Eftimie Murgu Square 2, 300041 Timisoara, Romania"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Ana-Maria","family":"Pah","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Cardiology Department, \u201cVictor Babes\u201d University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Eftimie Murgu Square 2, 300041 Timisoara, Romania"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Marius","family":"Badalica-Petrescu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Cardiology Department, \u201cVictor Babes\u201d University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Eftimie Murgu Square 2, 300041 Timisoara, Romania"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Stela","family":"Iurciuc","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Cardiology Department, \u201cVictor Babes\u201d University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Eftimie Murgu Square 2, 300041 Timisoara, Romania"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Maria-Laura","family":"Craciun","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Cardiology Department, \u201cVictor Babes\u201d University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Eftimie Murgu Square 2, 300041 Timisoara, Romania"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0003-7868-9266","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Adina","family":"Avram","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Cardiology Department, \u201cVictor Babes\u201d University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Eftimie Murgu Square 2, 300041 Timisoara, Romania"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-7351-741X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Cristina","family":"Tudoran","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Centre of Molecular Research in Nephrology and Vascular Disease, University of Medicine and Pharmacy \u201cVictor Babes\u201d Timisoara, Eftimie Murgu Square, Nr. 2, 300041 Timisoara, Romania"},{"name":"Department VII, Internal Medicine II, Discipline of Cardiology, \u201cVictor Babes\u201d University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Eftimie Murgu Square, Nr. 2, 300041 Timisoara, Romania"},{"name":"County Emergency Hospital \u201cPius Brinzeu\u201d, L. Rebreanu, Nr. 156, 300723 Timisoara, Romania"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,2]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"24912","DOI":"10.1038\/s41598-024-75084-y","article-title":"Changes in breast cancer incidence and surgical treatment in Baden-W\u00fcrttemberg (Germany) during the COVID-19 pandemic","volume":"14","author":"Jansen","year":"2024","journal-title":"Sci. Rep."},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Petropoulou, Z., Arkadopoulos, N., and Michalopoulos, N.V. (2022). Breast Cancer and COVID-19: Challenges in Surgical management. Cancers, 14.","DOI":"10.3390\/cancers14215360"},{"key":"ref_3","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"534","DOI":"10.1200\/OP.20.00807","article-title":"Time to treatment initiation for breast cancer during the COVID-19 pandemic","volume":"17","author":"Hawrot","year":"2021","journal-title":"JCO Oncol. 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