Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Cancer Diagnoses in General and Specialized Practices in Germany

Jacob, Louis; Loosen, Sven H.; Kalder, Matthias; Luedde, Tom; Roderburg, Christoph; Kostev, Karel

doi:10.3390/cancers13030408

Cited by 100 publications

(112 citation statements)

References 41 publications

(38 reference statements)

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“…They found a significant decrease of cancer diagnoses in general practices between March and May 2020 of up to 27.6%, and a similar trend in specialized practices with fewer initial diagnoses of 28.2-44.4%. This was pronounced among cancers of the skin and intrathoracic organs [24]. Another study analyzed cancer reporting by pathologists in North Rhine-Westphalia (Germany) showing a relative reduction of 21% in cancer cases reported compared to the previous year.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Consequences of the COVID-19 Pandemic and Governmental Containment Policies on the Detection and Therapy of Oral Malignant Lesions—A Retrospective, Multicenter Cohort Study from Germany

Heimes

Müller

Schellin

et al. 2021

Cancers

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(1) Background: In response to the global COVID-19 pandemic, governmental measures have been undertaken. The impact of the crisis on the healthcare of patients with cancer is largely unexplored. This multicenter cohort study aimed to investigate a potential screening delay and its consequences in patients with oral cancer (OC) during the pandemic. (2) Material and Methods: Data of patients who were first diagnosed with OC during different periods were collected, especially in terms of OC incidence, tumor stage/entity and time to intervention. The periods lockdown (LD) (13 March–16 June 2020), post-lockdown (PLD) (17 June–1 November 2020), and the corresponding equivalents in 2018/19 were differentiated and compared. (3) Results: There was no obvious trend towards a higher incidence of OC or higher tumor stages, whereas a trend towards a shorter time to intervention during the LD2020 could be observed. Subgroup analyses revealed an increased incidence in OC within the PLD2020 in Mainz, which might be explained by the partial closure of dental practices in this federal state during LD. (4) Conclusions: While there was no overall higher incidence of OC, we found closure of practices during LD to possibly delay cancer diagnosis. Therefore, measures must be taken to identify patients at risk and to ensure basic healthcare, especially in the context of dental screening measures.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Consequences of the COVID-19 Pandemic and Governmental Containment Policies on the Detection and Therapy of Oral Malignant Lesions—A Retrospective, Multicenter Cohort Study from Germany

Heimes

Müller

Schellin

et al. 2021

Cancers

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“…In addition, many people were under the impression that using medical services might increase the risk of infection due to contact with doctors, nurses, or other patients. Overall, the number of outpatient treatments fell considerably, which resulted, for example, in an increased number of unrecognized cancer cases (12). In the present study, we analyzed the number of consultations in gastroenterology practices in Germany in the second and third quarters of 2019 and 2020.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Consultations and Diagnoses in Gastroenterology Practices in Germany

et al. 2021

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The COVID-19 pandemic has been a major burden for healthcare systems worldwide and has caused multiple changes and problems in outpatient care. The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on consultations and diagnoses in gastroenterology practices in Germany. To this end, we retrospectively analyzed data from the Disease Analyzer database (IQVIA) using the International Classification of Diseases, 10th revision (ICD-10). We included all patients aged ≥18 years with at least one visit to one of 48 gastroenterology practices in Germany between April and September 2019 and April and September 2020. A total of 63,914 patients in the 2nd quarter of 2019, 63,701 in the 3rd quarter of 2019, 55,769 in the 2nd quarter of 2020, and 60,446 in the 3rd quarter of 2020 were included. Overall, a clear downward trend in the number of visits to gastroenterologists was observed in the 2nd quarter of 2020 compared to 2019 (−13%, p = 0.228). The decrease in consultations was particularly pronounced in patients >70 years of age (−17%, p = 0.096). This trend was evident for all gastrointestinal diagnoses except for tumors. Most notably, rates of gastrointestinal infections (−19%) or ulcers (−43%) were significantly lower in this period than in the same quarter of 2019. Reflecting the course of the pandemic, the differences between the 3rd quarter of 2020 and that of 2019 were less pronounced (−5%, p = 0.560). Our data show that the pandemic changed patients' behavior with respect to the health care system. Using the example of German gastroenterology practices, we show that the number of consultations as well as the number and range of diagnoses have changed compared to the same period in 2019.

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“…Ähnliche Auswirkungen wurden auch in anderen Ländern und internationalen Umfragen bestätigt [3][4][5][6]. Die Ergebnisse der deutschen Umfrage [3] wurden auch indirekt in einer retrospektiven Analyse in Bezug auf allgemeine Tumordiagnosen bestätigt [7], in der die Daten von 102 009 erwachsenen Patienten aus 1660 Praxen und Krankenhäusern von Januar bis Mai 2020 mit denen des Vorjahres verglichen wurden. Es zeigte sich, dass sich die Anzahl an Tumordiagnosen insgesamt im Frühjahr 2020 im Vergleich zum Vorjahr signifikant reduziert hat (um −12 % (März), -28 % (April) bzw.…”

Section: Discussionunclassified

Auswirkungen von COVID-19 auf nuklearmedizinische Untersuchungen und Therapien im Verlauf von 2020 – Ergebnisse einer nationalen Umfrage

2021

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Zusammenfassung Einleitung Die COVID-19-Pandemie stellt weltweit die Gesundheitssysteme vor eine in ihrem Ausmaß nicht zu erahnende Herausforderung. Diese Online-Umfrage erfasste die Auswirkungen der COVID-19-Pandemie auf die Leistungszahlen der Nuklearmedizin in Deutschland im Jahresvergleich 2020 zu 2019. Materialien und Methoden Ein webbasierter Fragebogen wurde entwickelt, um die Leistungszahlen 2020 und insbesondere die Veränderungen im Jahresvergleich zu 2019 zu erfassen. Abgefragt wurden die Veränderungen in der nuklearmedizinischen Diagnostik und Therapie sowie inwieweit die Handlungsempfehlungen „Coronavirus SARS-CoV-2“ umgesetzt wurden. Ergebnisse 91 vollständige Antworten wurden erfasst und ausgewertet, was rund 20 % aller deutschen nuklearmedizinischen Einrichtungen entspricht. In der Diagnostik zeigte sich im Vergleich zu 2019 eine Abnahme der Szintigrafien der Schilddrüse (15,9 %), der Knochen (8,8 %), der Lunge (7,6 %), der Sentinel-Lymphknoten (5,5 %) und des Myokards (1,4 %) bei geringem Anstieg der PET/CT-Untersuchungen (1,2 %). Bei den nuklearmedizinischen Therapien war die Reduktion bei den benignen Erkrankungen am höchsten (benigne Schilddrüse 13,3 %, RSO 7,7 %), während die Veränderungen zu 2019 bei den malignen Indikationen weniger ausgeprägt waren (PRRT + 2,2 %, PSMA + 7,4 %, SIRT –5,9 % und RJT bei Schilddrüsenkarzinom –2,4 %). Die Handlungsempfehlungen der DGN wurden zu 90 % ganz oder teilweise angewendet. Schlussfolgerungen Die initial deutliche Reduktion der nuklearmedizinischen Leistungen in den ersten 3 Wochen der COVID-19-Pandemie hat sich im weiteren Verlauf nicht fortgesetzt, ein Nachholen der nicht durchgeführten Untersuchungen hat allerdings nicht stattgefunden. Besonders schwerwiegend war der Rückgang bei Diagnostik und Therapie der benignen Erkrankungen.

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Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Cancer Diagnoses in General and Specialized Practices in Germany

Cited by 100 publications

References 41 publications

Consequences of the COVID-19 Pandemic and Governmental Containment Policies on the Detection and Therapy of Oral Malignant Lesions—A Retrospective, Multicenter Cohort Study from Germany

Consequences of the COVID-19 Pandemic and Governmental Containment Policies on the Detection and Therapy of Oral Malignant Lesions—A Retrospective, Multicenter Cohort Study from Germany

Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Consultations and Diagnoses in Gastroenterology Practices in Germany

Auswirkungen von COVID-19 auf nuklearmedizinische Untersuchungen und Therapien im Verlauf von 2020 – Ergebnisse einer nationalen Umfrage

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