Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on lymphoma incidence and short-term survival – a Swedish Lymphoma Register Study

Abstract

Background & purpose: The COVID-19 pandemic posed a large challenge for healthcare systems across the world. Comprehensive data on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on incidence and mortality in lymphoma are lacking. Patients/methods: Using data from the Swedish lymphoma register, we compare incidence and 1-year survival of lymphoma patients in Sweden before (2017–2019) and during the pandemic (2020 and 2021). Results: Fewer patients were diagnosed with lymphomas during March–June 2020, but the annual incidence rates for 2020 and 2021 were similar to those of 2017–2019. A larger proportion of patients presented with stage IV disease during 2021. There were no differences in other base-line characteristics nor application of active treatment in pre-pandemic and pandemic years. One-year overall survival was not inferior among lymphoma patients during the pandemic years compared to pre-pandemic years i.e., 2017–2019. Interpretation: The COVID-19 pandemic had limited impact on the incidence and mortality of lymphoma in Sweden.