Changes in Lung Cancer Treatment as a Result of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 Pandemic

Abstract

Patients with cancer have higher mortality rates from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), 1-4 particularly those with lung cancer. 5 Therefore, efforts are ongoing to limit exposure of these patients to the health care system. As a result, the COVID-19 pandemic has changed cancer care provision, but the extent and type of these changes are unknown. The goal of this study was to evaluate the changes in lung cancer treatment during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods | We prospectively assessed the treatment plan of all patients seen in the thoracic oncology clinic at the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) between March 2 and May 30, 2020. Inclusion criteria were a diagnosis of either non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) or small cell lung cancer (SCLC). Those who had a diagnosis of COVID-19 were excluded. Primary end points were to describe the extent of changes in the treatment plan and qualify the types of changes observed as a direct result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Definition of change as a direct result of the pandemic was classified as such according to the patient's medical record and not inferred. The study was determined to be exempt by the MUHC research ethics board and was conducted according to the declaration of Helsinki.

The impact of the COVID‐19 pandemic on the short‐term survival of patients with cancer in Northern Portugal

“…Treatment disruptions and modifications have been reported as a result of the pandemic, which may have also impacted the prognosis of these patients. In Canada, over half of patients with lung cancer receiving treatment between March and May 2020 underwent at least one change in their cancer treatment plan 38 . In the United States of America, nearly half of patients with breast cancer encountered treatment delays 39 .…”

Differential Impact of COVID-19 on Cancer Diagnostic Services Based on Body Regions: A Public Facility-Based Study in Hong Kong

“…In addition, the hospital services were being re-purposed to address COVID-19-related services contributing to a reduction in normal cancer diagnostic services 4 . In the short term, the disruption to cancer treatment, alteration of treatment plans and intervals, as well as delay in cancer treatment have been previously documented [5][6][7] . The long-term effect of delay in diagnosis is more difficult to measure.…”

The Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Lung Cancer Community

“…Treatment disruptions, modifications, or delayed cancer diagnoses due to COVID-19 pandemic may result in clinical consequence for these patients [ 21 ]. Since the beginning of the pandemic, many hypotheses have been made regarding anti-cancer treatments that increase the risk of serious complications of COVID-19.…”