KEY TAKEAWAYS
- The study aimed to investigate the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on diagnosis delays and outcomes for patients with LC and HNC.
- Researchers noticed low survival rates and increased incidence in patients with LC and HNC.
There is no updated national data regarding the real impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on delaying diagnosis and treatment among patients with lung cancer (LC) and head & neck cancers (HNC) in Brazil.
Gilson Gabriel Viana Veloso and the team aimed to analyze the COVID-19 pandemic impact on cancer diagnosis and clinical outcomes among patients with LC & HNC assisted in a tertiary cancer center in Southeastern Brazil, as well as to analyze these patients’ pretreatment clinical features.
They performed an inclusive analysis of a retrospective cohort of patients with LC & HNC assisted in a tertiary cancer center in southeastern Brazil between January 2019 and December 2021. To assess statistical differences among groups (i.e., cohort 2019 versus [vs.] 2020 and 2019 vs. 2021), the chi-square test was used with a 5% significance level and 90% power for sample size calculation. Differences among baseline clinical features and sociodemographic characteristics were evaluated either by T-test for two samples or Fisher’s or Pearson’s chi-square test (for quantitative or qualitative variables). All utilized tests had a 5% significance level.
About 652 patients were included, 332 with LC and 320 with HNC it was observed a significant decrease in oncologic treatment recommendations and an increase in palliative care recommendations for patients with LC despite similar stages at diagnosis. During the COVID-19 pandemic, more pain symptoms were reported at the first Oncology assessment for patients with HNC (P < 0.05). Compared to 2019, patients with HNC diagnosed in 2021 presented a worse initial performance status (P = 0.008). There was a statistically significant increase in survival for patients diagnosed with HNC in 2021 when compared to 2019 (P = 0.003).
The study concluded that low survival rates for patients with LC and HNC in Brazil were evident even before the pandemic, largely due to advanced disease stages at diagnosis within the public health system and deteriorating clinical features. Additionally, there was an increased incidence of both LC and HNC despite no differences in clinical stage. This underscores the fragility of the public healthcare system, which struggled even before the acute public health crisis of the COVID-19 pandemic. The long-term impact on public health may persist for many years.
The study received no funds.
Source: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38679710/
Viana Veloso GG, Amaral FD, Nogueira-Rodrigues A, (2024). “Impact of COVID-19 pandemic among patients with lung and head and neck cancer assisted in a public cancer center in Brazil.” BMC Cancer. 2024 Apr 29;24(1):539. doi: 10.1186/s12885-024-12255-0. PMID: 38679710; PMCID: PMC11057144.
