Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Non-Melanoma Skin Cancer's Tumor Burden and Care: a Multi-Center Study Based in Northern Italy

Cozzi, Silvia; Codazzi, Denis; Cherubino, Mario; Luigi, Valdatta; Tamborini, Federico; Marcello, Carminati

doi:10.1016/j.bjps.2022.06.037

Cited by 5 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 33 publications

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“…Due to the insufficient number of healthcare workers available to treat non-COVID-19 patients and increased workload at the Clinic for Burns, Plastic, and Reconstructive Surgery as well as strict admission regulations, patients scheduled for elective surgery were intermittently triaged to other institutions, which had an especially large impact on patients who resided outside the capital. The inability of patients to perform regular skin examinations at dermatologists' and plastic surgeons' offices, as well as postponing elective surgeries, including oncological surgeries, on the one hand, as well as the fear of contracting COVID-19 on the other, resulted in larger skin tumors, possibly leading to worse outcomes and growing disease-specific mortality rates [3,17,[26][27][28].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…While some authors found no impact of the delay from diagnostic to surgery on the size of tumors post-pandemic in countries such as the Netherlands, our results are in accordance with the findings of authors from Italy. [3,28] Cozzi et al found a mean increase in the post-pandemic cSCC tumor diameter of 10.3 mm (95% CI 3-17.6). Additionally, the same authors found an absolute and percent increase in cSCC diagnoses in the post-pandemic group of patients [3].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…[3,28] Cozzi et al found a mean increase in the post-pandemic cSCC tumor diameter of 10.3 mm (95% CI 3-17.6). Additionally, the same authors found an absolute and percent increase in cSCC diagnoses in the post-pandemic group of patients [3]. The same was observed by Valenti et al, comparing skin tumor patients from 2019 to 2020, with an observed increase in patients with advanced NMSC [35].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC) and basal cell carcinoma (BCC), also known as nonmelanocytic skin carcinoma (NMSC), represent 95% of all skin tumors and are still one of the most common malignant tumors in the human population [1][2][3]. During 2019, about 2.4 million cSCC and 4.0 million BCC were reported worldwide [4].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Despite patients with cSCC having a good prognosis after radical surgical excision, about 3.7% to 5.2% of patients are found to have nodal metastases, while 1.5% to 2.8% of patients have a fatal outcome [7][8][9]. Risk factors for poor outcome are a tumor diameter of more than 2 cm, poorly differentiated tumors, as well as perineural or perivascular invasion [3,7,8].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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COVID-19 and Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinoma—Impact of the Pandemic on Unequal Access to Healthcare

Jović

Marinković²,

Suđecki³

et al. 2023

Healthcare

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Most skin tumors are not fatal, but if not treated in a timely manner, they can lead to significant morbidity. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and in order to create more capacities for the treatment of COVID-19-positive patients as well as to contain the spread of the virus, the healthcare system was reorganized worldwide, leading to decreased access to preventive screening programs. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of the pandemic on healthcare accessibility to cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma patients in Serbia. This retrospective study was conducted at the Clinic for Burns, Plastic, and Reconstructive Surgery, University Clinical Center of Serbia in Belgrade. Patient demographics and pathohistological findings of tumors of patients living in and outside the capital in the period before, during, and after the pandemic were compared. The two groups did not show any differences regarding the largest tumor diameter prior and during the pandemic; however, this difference became extremely noticeable after the pandemic (15 mm vs. 27 mm; p < 0.001). While cSCCs are commonly slow-growing tumors, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic is not negligible. This study found a population at a significant risk of cSCC metastasis, with additional evidence likely to emerge in the upcoming years.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

COVID-19 and Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinoma—Impact of the Pandemic on Unequal Access to Healthcare

Jović

Marinković²,

Suđecki³

et al. 2023

Healthcare

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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Manejo de tumores perioculares mediante derivación a cirugía de Mohs y sus características clínico-histológicas

Ruiz Caro Larrea,

Simpson,

Wong

et al. 2024

Archivos de la Sociedad Española de Oftalmología

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Effects of COVID-19 Pandemic on the Diagnosis of Melanoma and Keratinocyte Carcinomas: a Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Díaz-Calvillo,

Muñoz-Barba,

Ureña-Paniego

et al. 2024

Acta Derm Venereol

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Since December 2019, the COVID-19 pandemic has profoundly affected healthcare. The real effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on skin cancer are still unclear, more than 3 years later. This study aims to summarise the pandemic’s impact on skin cancer diagnosis and outcome. A systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted, selecting studies comparing skin cancer diagnosis and prognosis post-pandemic with pre-pandemic data. A total of 27 papers were reviewed including 102,263 melanomas and 271,483 keratinocyte carcinomas. During the initial pandemic months (January–July 2020), melanoma surgeries dropped by 29.7% and keratinocyte carcinomas surgeries by 50.8%. Early pandemic tumours exhibited greater thickness and stage. In a long-term period beyond the initial months, melanoma surgeries decreased by 9.3%, keratinocyte carcinomas by 16.6%. No significant differences were observed in the Breslow thickness of melanomas after the start of the pandemic (mean difference 0.06, 95% confidence interval –0.46, 0.58). Melanomas operated on post-pandemic onset had an increased risk of ulceration (odds ratio 1.35, 95% confidence interval 1.22–1.50). Keratinocyte carcinomas showed increased thickness and worsened stage post-pandemic. However, studies included were mostly retrospective and cross-sectional, reporting diverse data. This review indicates that the pandemic likely caused delays in skin cancer diagnosis and treatment, potentially impacting patient outcomes.

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Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Non-Melanoma Skin Cancer's Tumor Burden and Care: a Multi-Center Study Based in Northern Italy

Cited by 5 publications

References 33 publications

COVID-19 and Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinoma—Impact of the Pandemic on Unequal Access to Healthcare

COVID-19 and Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinoma—Impact of the Pandemic on Unequal Access to Healthcare

Manejo de tumores perioculares mediante derivación a cirugía de Mohs y sus características clínico-histológicas

Effects of COVID-19 Pandemic on the Diagnosis of Melanoma and Keratinocyte Carcinomas: a Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

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