Background The indirect impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on cancer care and timely diagnosis is of increasing concern. We investigated the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on incidence, time of diagnosis and delivery of healthcare among paediatric oncology patients in Germany in 2020. Methods We analysed incident paediatric cancer cases diagnosed in 0- to 17-year olds in Germany in 2020 using data of the German Childhood Cancer Registry. Absolute numbers and age-standardised incidence rates (ASR) in 2020 were compared to the previous five years (2015–2019). Moreover, we conducted a survey with open-ended questions, gathering perceptions of the diagnostic process and healthcare delivery for paediatric oncology patients during the COVID-19 pandemic. Findings More or similar numbers of paediatric cancer patients were newly diagnosed each month throughout 2020 in comparison to the previous five years. The estimated ASRs showed markedly higher incidence rates, overall and across diagnostic groups, in 2020 compared to 2015-2019. Results from the qualitative survey indicated that diagnostic processes, timeliness of diagnosis, and delivery of treatment were hardly affected during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, psychosocial supportive care and non-urgent appointments were considerably reduced during the lockdown periods. Interpretation We found no indications of severe adverse effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on diagnosis and delivery of healthcare among children with cancer in Germany. The underlying reasons of the increase in incidence rates remain speculative. Continued close monitoring of incidence patterns may shed light on the underlying reasons of the present increase and contribute to understanding disease aetiology. Funding None

N-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) have been suggested to affect depressive disorders. This review aims to determine the effect of n-3 PUFAs on depressive symptoms in people with or without diagnosed depression. Medline, PsycINFO, and Cochrane CENTRAL databases were searched for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) assessing the association between n-3 PUFAs and depressive symptoms or disorders as outcomes. A random-effects meta-analysis of standardized mean difference (SMD) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) was performed. Twenty-five studies (7682 participants) were included. Our meta-analysis (20 studies) indicated that n-3 PUFA supplementation lowered depressive symptomology as compared with placebo: SMD = −0.34, 95% CI: −0.55, −0.12, I2 = 86%, n = 5836, but a possible publication bias cannot be ruled out. Subgroup analyses indicated no statistically significant difference by treatment duration of <12 vs. ≥12 weeks, presence of comorbidity, or severity of depressive symptoms. Nevertheless, beneficial effects were seen in the subgroups of studies with longer treatment duration and with no depression and mild to moderate depression. Subgroup analysis by eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) dosage revealed differences in favor of the lower EPA dosage. Sensitivity analysis including studies with low risk of bias seems to confirm the overall result. Supplementation of n-3 PUFA appears to have a modest beneficial effect on depressive symptomology, although the quality of evidence is still insufficient.

No abstract

No abstract

Childhood cancer is the leading disease-related cause of death among under 15 year olds in Europe. Since primary preventive measures are lacking, improving survival probabilities and long-term well-being remain primary goals. With this report, we provide the first long-term assessment and interpretation of patterns in childhood cancer survival in Germany, covering a period of 30 years. Using data from the German Childhood Cancer Registry, we assessed temporal patterns of cancer survival among children (0-14 years) diagnosed in Germany from 1991 to 2016, by cancer type, age at diagnosis and sex. We calculated overall survival (OS) and average annual percentage changes of the respective 5-year OS estimates. OS improved across all cancer types, age groups as well as for boys and girls over time. Five-year OS for all childhood cancers combined increased from 77.8% in 1991-1995 to 86.5% in 2011-2016, with stronger improvements during the early 1990s. The most pronounced survival improvement was seen for acute myeloid leukaemia, at 2% annually and 5-year OS recently reaching 81.5%. Survival improvements for some diagnoses such as neuroblastoma, renal tumours and bone tumours have flattened out. Tremendous enhancements in diagnostics, treatment and supportive care have affected average survival

No abstract

No abstract