Referral pattern for urologic malignancies before and during the COVID-19 pandemic

Maganty, Avinash; Yu, Michelle; Anyaeche, Vivian I; Zhu, Toby; Hay, Jordan M.; Davies, Ben; Yabes, Jonathan G.; Jacobs, Bruce L.

doi:10.1016/j.urolonc.2020.11.027

Cited by 21 publications

(24 citation statements)

References 13 publications

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“…While Belgium registered high numbers of deaths attributed to COVID-19 (with or without PCR confirmation), excess mortality during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic was comparable to average levels for Europe. 26 Despite the varied impact of the pandemic and the diversity of confinement measures to slow the spread of COVID-19 around the world, single-center and multicenter studies, from Italy, 5 , 15 Germany, 13 Austria, 12 Slovenia, 9 Poland, 2 Spain, 11 the UK, 1 and the USA, 3 , 4 , 6 , 14 as well as nationwide, population-level studies from the Netherlands 16 and Denmark, 17 all support a global decline in cancer diagnosis during the early stage of the pandemic. The scarcity of large, population-based studies on cancer diagnoses during the pandemic, to date, is presumably linked to delays in data collection.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Studies looking at the use of specific diagnostic modalities or first referrals for oncology services alerted to a potential influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on cancer detection. 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 Likewise, single-center and multicenter studies, and population-level studies focused on specific tumor types have reported declines in numbers of cancer diagnoses. 1 , 2 , 7 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 Evidence from large-scale studies quantifying these declines on a population level is limited.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Decline and incomplete recovery in cancer diagnoses during the COVID-19 pandemic in Belgium: a year-long, population-level analysis

Peacock¹,

Tambuyzer²,

Verdoodt³

et al. 2021

ESMO Open

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Background: Oncological care was considerably impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Worrisome declines in diagnostic procedures and cancer diagnoses in 2020 have been reported; however, nationwide, population-based evidence is limited. Quantification of the magnitude and distribution of the remaining outstanding diagnoses is likewise lacking. Methods: Using accelerated delivery of data from pathology laboratories to the Belgian Cancer Registry, we compared the nationwide rates of new diagnoses of invasive cancers in 2020 to 2019. Results: We observed a 44% reduction in total diagnoses of invasive cancers in April 2020 compared with April 2019, coinciding with the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. The reduction was largest in older patients and for skin cancers (melanoma and nonmelanoma). Reductions in diagnosis were less pronounced among children and adolescents (0-19 years). A smaller decline was observed for most cancers with typically poorer prognosis or obvious symptoms, including some hematological malignancies, lung, and pancreatic cancer. Suspension of organized population screening programs was reflected in a strong decline in diagnosis in the screening age groups for female breast cancer (56%) and for colorectal cancer in both men (49%) and women (60%). The number of diagnoses began to increase from the end of April and stabilized at the beginning of June at or just above 2019 levels. There has yet to be a complete recovery in cancer diagnoses, with an estimated 6%, or w4000 diagnoses, still outstanding for all of 2020. Among solid tumors, head and neck cancers have the largest remaining year-over-year decrease in diagnoses at 14%. Conclusion: These results add to the evidence of a profound impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on oncological care and identify groups at risk for continuing diagnostic delays. These data should stimulate health care providers worldwide to facilitate targeted, accessible, and efficient procedures for detection of cancers affected by this delay.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Decline and incomplete recovery in cancer diagnoses during the COVID-19 pandemic in Belgium: a year-long, population-level analysis

Peacock¹,

Tambuyzer²,

Verdoodt³

et al. 2021

ESMO Open

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…Another study including 678 dermatologists surveyed between April and May 2020 showed that daily clinical activity had reduced by more than 75% during the pandemic for almost half of the sample, while approximately 40% of participants reported working fewer days per week compared with before the COVID-19 pandemic (Conforti et al 2021 ). The COVID-19 pandemic not only has resulted in a decrease in the activity of general and specialized practices, but has also impaired the coordination between different types of practices, and this has led to decreased referral for possible cancer diagnoses to specialized practices or hospital departments (Gathani et al 2021 ; Maganty et al 2021 ). Second, patients’ fear and concerns about the COVID-19 might have favored delayed or avoided medical care.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Decrease in the number of patients diagnosed with cancer during the COVID-19 pandemic in Germany

Jacob

Kalder

Kostev³

2022

J Cancer Res Clin Oncol

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Purpose Little is known on how coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has impacted cancer diagnosis in Germany since the first lockdown in March 2020. Therefore, this retrospective study aimed to compare the number of patients newly diagnosed with cancer in general and specialized practices in Germany between April 2020–March 2021 and April 2019–March 2020. Methods Patients aged ≥ 18 years with at least 1 visit to 1 of 1403 general and specialized practices in Germany in April 2020–March 2021 ( n = 3,804,596) and April 2019–March 2020 ( n = 3,913,386) were included in this retrospective study. Specialized practices were composed of gynecology, dermatology and urology practices. Cancer diagnoses included all types of cancer documented using the International Classification of Diseases, 10th revision (ICD-10 codes: C00-C97). The number of patients newly diagnosed with cancer per practice was compared between April 2020–March 2021 and April 2019–March 2020 using Wilcoxon tests. Results There were 126,379 and 138,996 patients diagnosed with cancer in April 2020–March 2021 and April 2019–March 2020, respectively. The number of patients diagnosed with cancer decreased in all types of practice, and this decrease was significant in general practices (− 7.1%, p value = 0.038). In terms of cancer type, this decrease was particularly pronounced for skin cancers (− 12.8%, p value = 0.025). Conclusion The COVID-19 pandemic has been associated with a decrease in the number of patients newly diagnosed with cancer in general and specialized practices in Germany. Public health interventions are urgently warranted to mitigate the deleterious effects of this health crisis on cancer diagnosis.

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“…In particular, the urology team of our institution has described a reduction in all urologic activities performed during the first COVID-19 wave in the three largest public hospitals in Lombardy (Brescia, Bergamo and Milan) [ 12 ]. In accordance with recommendations by international urological societies, some urologic oncology surgical procedures have undergone a significant reduction in volume based on specific prioritization strategies, leading to an increased backlog of cases and possibly a worse prognosis for some patients [ 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Urologic Oncology Surgery: Implications for Moving Forward

Guerrieri

Rovati

Dell’Oglio

et al. 2021

JCM

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The COVID-19 pandemic has caused the destruction of routine hospital services globally, leading to an increase in the backlog of elective surgery cases. The aim of the study was to retrospectively investigate the pandemic’s impact on the urologic oncology surgical activity of a high-volume center located in Milan, Italy. The number and type of procedures performed in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic was evaluated using 2019 data as control. Waiting times for each surgical procedure were compared, on a bimonthly basis, between the two different years. Overall, a 26.7% reduction in the number of urologic oncology surgeries between 2019 and 2020 was observed (2019: 720, 2020: 528). Both the main indication for surgery and the type of procedure performed significantly differed between 2019 and 2020 (all p < 0.0001), with a decrease in the number of radical prostatectomies and an increase in the number of radical cystectomies and radical nephrectomies/nephroureterectomies performed in 2020. Waiting time decreased by 20% between 2019 and 2020, with the most significant reduction seen after the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic (July-October 2020), in particular for partial nephrectomy and radical prostatectomy, possibly due to the underdiagnosis of cases. In conclusion, in accordance with recommendations by international urological societies on prioritization strategies for oncological procedures, a higher proportion of surgeries for high-risk tumors was performed in 2020 at our center at the expense of procedures for lower risk diseases; however, future implications for patients’ prognosis still need to be determined.

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Referral pattern for urologic malignancies before and during the COVID-19 pandemic

Cited by 21 publications

References 13 publications

Decline and incomplete recovery in cancer diagnoses during the COVID-19 pandemic in Belgium: a year-long, population-level analysis

Decline and incomplete recovery in cancer diagnoses during the COVID-19 pandemic in Belgium: a year-long, population-level analysis

Decrease in the number of patients diagnosed with cancer during the COVID-19 pandemic in Germany

Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Urologic Oncology Surgery: Implications for Moving Forward

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