The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on cancer care.
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ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Richards M
PROVIDER: S-EPMC7238956 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Jun
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
Publications
The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on cancer care.
Richards Mike M Anderson Michael M Carter Paul P Ebert Benjamin L BL Mossialos Elias E
Nature cancer 20200601 6
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Project description:The COVID-19 pandemic heightened the psychosocial impact of a cancer diagnosis as patients face concerns about the risk of infection and serious disease and uncertainties about the impact on their treatment. We conducted an online survey (n = 317) and focus groups (n = 19) with patients to examine their experiences with cancer care during the pandemic. Most survey respondents (68%) reported one or more disruptions or delays in care, including appointments switched to telehealth (49%). Patients perceived both benefits (e.g., convenience) and drawbacks (e.g., more impersonal) to telehealth. For many patients, COVID-19-related restrictions on bringing family members to support them during appointments was a major concern and left them feeling alone and vulnerable during treatment. Patients' self-reported coping during the pandemic was positively associated with age, education, and income (P < .05 for each) and better communication with their doctors during telehealth sessions (P < .001). Study findings highlight the importance of patient-centered care and communication to help patients cope with the challenges of the pandemic. Further research is needed to develop guidelines for use of telehealth as part of patient-centered cancer care.
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Project description:PurposeTo evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on renal cell carcinoma (RCC) care in the Netherlands.MethodsNewly diagnosed RCCs between 2018 and 2021 were selected from the Netherlands Cancer Registry; 2020-2021 was defined as COVID period and 2018-2019 as reference period. Numbers of RCCs were evaluated using 3-week-moving averages, overall and by disease stage and age. Changes in treatment were evaluated with logistic regression analyses. To evaluate possible delays in care, time to start of treatment was assessed. The cumulative number of metastatic RCC (mRCC) over time was assessed to evaluate stage shift.ResultsDuring the 1st COVID wave (weeks 9-22, 2020), the number of new RCC diagnoses decreased with 15%. Numbers restored partially in 2020, but remained 10% lower compared to 2018/2019. The decline was mostly due to a drop in T1a/T1b RCCs and in age > 70 years. 2021 showed similar numbers of new RCC diagnoses compared to 2018/2019 without an increase due to previously missed RCCs. Treatment-related changes during the 1st COVID wave were limited and temporarily; less surgery in T1a RCCs in favor of more active surveillance, and in mRCC targeted therapy was preferred over immunotherapy. Time to start of firstline treatment was not prolonged during the 1st COVID wave. No increase in mRCC was found until the end of 2021.ConclusionsThe COVID-19 pandemic resulted in fewer RCC diagnoses, especially T1a/T1b tumors. Treatment-related changes appeared to be limited, temporarily and in accordance with the adapted guidelines. The diagnostic delay could lead to more advanced RCCs in later years but there are no indications for this yet.
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Project description:We assessed the impact of COVID-19 on healthcare visits, timing of stage IV NSCLC diagnosis and immunotherapy initiation, and rates of switching to extended dosing schedules of immunotherapies among patients with stage IV NSCLC. This retrospective study examined electronic health record data of adult patients receiving treatment for stage IV NSCLC within The US Oncology Network and Onmark. Endpoints were compared for February-July 2019 (before COVID) vs. February-July 2020 (during COVID). The study found rapid decreases in numbers of patients with clinic/vital visits, immunotherapy initiations, and new diagnoses of stage IV NSCLC during April-May 2020 vs. April-May 2019. The rate of delays of immunotherapy administrations and proportions of patients with such delays increased from February to March of 2020. These patterns may have resulted from the increase in COVID-19 cases during this period and the corresponding quarantine and lockdowns. However, when comparing pre COVID-19 and during COVID-19 for May and after, the differences in delay of immuno-oncology administrations became less marked, likely due to lifting of lockdowns. The rate of switching from shorter to longer dosing schedules increased from May-July 2020. This was mainly attributed to pembrolizumab, likely due to FDA approval of the pembrolizumab 6W dosing schedule in April 2020.
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Project description:BackgroundLittle is known about the COVID-19 pandemic impact on the provision of diagnostic imaging and physician visits at cancer diagnosis.MethodsWe used administrative databases from Ontario, Canada, to identify MRI/CT/ultrasound scans and in-person/virtual physician visits conducted with cancer patients within 91 days around the date of diagnosis in 2016-2020. In separate segmented regression procedures, we assessed the trends in weekly volume of these services per thousand cancer patients in prepandemic (June 26, 2016 to March 14, 2020), the change in mean volume at the start of the pandemic, and the additional change in weekly volume during the pandemic (March 15, 2020, to September 26, 2020).ResultsTotally, 403,561 cancer patients were included. On March 15, 2020 (COVID-19 arrived), mean scan volume decreased by 12.3% (95% CI: 6.4%-17.9%) where ultrasound decreased the most by 31.8% (95% CI: 23.9%-37.0%). Afterward, the volume of all scans increased further by 1.6% per week (95% CI: 1.3%-2.0%), where ultrasound increased the fastest by 2.4% (95% CI: 1.8%-2.9%). Mean in-person visits dropped by 47.4% when COVID-19 started (95% CI: 41.6%-52.6%) while virtual visits rose by 55.15-fold (95% CI: 4927%-6173%). In the pandemic (until September 26, 2020), in-person visits increased each week by 2.6% (95% CI: 2.0%-3.2%), but no change was observed for virtual visits (p -value = 0.10).ConclusionsProvision of diagnostic imaging and virtual visits at cancer diagnosis has been increasing since the start of COVID-19 and has exceeded prepandemic utilization levels. Future work should monitor the impact of these shifts on quality of delivered care.
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Project description: Not available
| S-EPMC7234788 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted regular health care with potential consequences for non-COVID diseases like cancer. To ensure continuity of oncological care, guidelines were temporarily adapted.ObjectiveTo evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on bladder cancer care in the Netherlands.MethodsThe number of bladder cancer (BC) diagnoses per month during 2020-2021 was compared to 2018-2019 based on preliminary data from the Netherlands Cancer Registry (NCR). Additionally, detailed data were retrieved from the NCR for the cohort diagnosed between March 1st-May 31st 2020 (first COVID wave) and 2018-2019 (reference cohort). BC diagnoses, changes in age and stage at diagnosis, and time to first-line treatment were compared between both periods. Changes in treatment were evaluated using logistic regression.ResultsDuring the first COVID wave (week 9-22), the number of BC diagnoses decreased by 14%, corresponding with approximately 300 diagnoses, but increased again in the second half of 2020. The decline was most pronounced from week 13 onwards in patients≥70 years and patients with non-muscle invasive BC. Patients with muscle-invasive disease were less likely to undergo a radical cystectomy (RC) in week 17-22 (OR = 0.62, 95% CI = 0.40-0.97). Shortly after the start of the outbreak, use of neoadjuvant chemotherapy decreased from 34% to 25% but this (non-significant) effect disappeared at the end of April. During the first wave, 5% more RCs were performed compared to previous years. Time from diagnosis to RC became 6 days shorter. Overall, a 7% reduction in RCs was observed in 2020.ConclusionsThe number of BC diagnoses decreased steeply by 14% during the first COVID wave but increased again to pre-COVID levels by the end of 2020 (i.e. 600 diagnoses/month). Treatment-related changes remained limited and followed the adapted guidelines. Surgical volume was not compromised during the first wave. Altogether, the impact of the first COVID-19 outbreak on bladder cancer care in the Netherlands appears to be less pronounced than was reported for other solid tumors, both in the Netherlands and abroad. However, its impact on bladder cancer stage shift and long-term outcomes, as well as later pandemic waves remain so far unexamined.
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Project description:BackgroundStudies evaluating the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on public healthcare systems are limited, particularly in cancer management. As no such studies have been carried out in Spain, our objective is to describe and quantify the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on cancer patients in Spanish hospitals during the first wave of the pandemic.Materials and methodsThis retrospective, multicenter, nationwide study collected information from hospital departments treating oncology patients. An electronic questionnaire comparing outcomes and management of oncohematological patients for the March-June 2019 and March-June 2020 periods was used.ResultsInformation from 78 departments (36 tertiary hospitals) was analyzed. Forty-four departments implemented adapted protocols during March 2020. Most of these (n = 38/44; 86.4%) carried out COVID-19 triage, while 26 of 44 (59.1%) carried out onsite polymerase chain reaction tests for clinically suspected cases. A shift from in-person to telephone visits was observed in 43 of 44 (97.7%) departments. Comparing the March-June 2019 and March-June 2020 periods, the number of new patients decreased by 20.8% (from 160.2 to 126.4). Decreases were also seen in the mean number of total (2858.2 versus 1686.1) and cancer (465.5 versus 367.2) biopsies, as well as the mean number of bone marrow biopsies (30.5 versus 18.6). Concerning the number of patients visiting specific cancer care departments, a decrease from 2019 to 2020 was seen for mean number of chemotherapy treatments (712.7 versus 643.8) and radiation therapy (2169.9 versus 2139.9). Finally, a reduction from 2019 to 2020 of 12.9% (from 8.6 to 7.4) in the mean number of patients included in clinical trials was noted.ConclusionsThis study provides the first comprehensive data concerning the impact of COVID-19 on cancer care in Spain. The pandemic caused a 20.8% decrease in newly diagnosed patients, which may impact future outcomes. Measures must be taken to ensure cancer management receives priority in times of healthcare emergencies.
| S-EPMC8128716 | biostudies-literature
Project description:New cases of the novel coronavirus, also known as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), are increasing around the world. Currently, health care services are mainly focused on responding to and controlling the unique challenges of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. These changes, along with the higher susceptibility of patients with cancer to infections, have profound effects on other critical aspects of care and pose a serious challenge for the treatment of such patients. During the COVID-19 pandemic, it is important to provide strategies for managing the treatment of patients with cancer to limit COVID-19-associated risks at this difficult time. The present study set out to summarize the latest research on epidemiology, pathogenesis, and clinical features of COVID-19. We also address some of the current challenges associated with the management of patients with cancer during the COVID-19 pandemic and provide practical guidance to clinically deal with these challenges.
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