Cancer diagnostic rates during the 2020 'lockdown', due to COVID-19 pandemic, compared with the 2018-2019: an audit study from cellular pathology
De Vincentiis, Ludovica Carr, Richard Mariani, Maria P. Ferrara, Gerardo ferrara
De Vincentiis, Ludovica
Carr, Richard
Mariani, Maria P.
Ferrara, Gerardo
ferrara
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Affiliation
Hospital of Macerata, Italy; South Warwickshire University NHS Foundation Trust
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Publication date
2021-03
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Abstract
Aims: We performed an audit to evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic-related delay in the diagnosis of major cancers at a Pathology Unit of a Secondary Care Hospital Network in Italy.
Methods: A comparison was made among the number of first cellular pathological diagnoses of malignancy made from the 11th to the 20th week of the years 2018-2020.
Results: Cancer diagnoses fell in 2020 by 39% compared with the average number recorded in 2018 and 2019. Prostate cancer (75%) bladder cancer (66%) and colorectal cancer (CRC; 62%) had the greatest decrease. CRC was identified as carrying a potentially important diagnostic delay.
Conclusions: For CRC corrective procedures (continuing mass screening tests; patient triage by family physicians; diagnostic procedures alternative to colonoscopy; predictive evaluation on biopsy samples) were advised. Our simple audit model is widely applicable to avoid pandemic-related delay in clinical diagnosis of cancer.
Citation
De Vincentiis L, Carr RA, Mariani MP, Ferrara G. Cancer diagnostic rates during the 2020 'lockdown', due to COVID-19 pandemic, compared with the 2018-2019: an audit study from cellular pathology. J Clin Pathol. 2021 Mar;74(3):187-189. doi: 10.1136/jclinpath-2020-206833. Epub 2020 Jun 19.
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Article