Dados do Trabalho

Título

Impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on cancer screening and diagnosis at a University Hospital in Curitiba

Introdução

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a substantial impact on global public health, with major changes in the search for care services. The implications in relation to cancer patients have been observed both in the reduction of the populations screening rate, and also on the delay in seeking health services, and as a consequence the diagnosis of the oncological disease in more advanced stages.

Objetivo

Compare the rates of hospital admissions during the period of the COVD-19 pandemic due to the need to manage symptoms in patients without a previous diagnosis of cancer, whose symptomatology that led to hospitalization is related to cancer diagnosed and managed during hospitalization.

Método

Retrospective study, database from electronic medical records included 174 patients admitted from January 2018 to January 2021 who were possibly or newly diagnosed with neoplastic disease, hospitalized due to symptoms related to probable advanced oncological disease, without previous treatment and who required hospitalization soon after the first evaluation to control symptoms related to cancer were analyzed.

Resultados

In the pre-pandemic period 89 (51.1%) cases were included and in the pandemic period 85 (48.9%). On average, age in the pandemic period was 6.1 years older than in the pre-pandemic period. The most prevalent symptom of hospitalization in the pre-pandemic era was bleeding and abdominal pain in the pandemic. The most common primary site in the pre-pandemic era was colorectal and anal canal and in the pandemic it was tumors of the pancreas, liver and biliary tract. Comparing the pre-pandemic and pandemic era: metastasis at diagnosis was 51.7% x 74.1%, initiation of early cancer treatment during hospitalization 20.2% x 41.2%, best support of care 4.5% x 31.8% respectively, all with statistical significance (p<0.05). There was no statistical significance in the outcome of discharge or death during primary hospitalization, however there was significance during follow-up with earlier death in patients from the pandemic era.

Conclusão

The results of the present study suggest that cancer patients from a University Hospital in south of Brazil in the pandemic era present themselves to diagnosis with a more advanced and more severe stage of the disease, requiring earlier treatment. Leading to worse outcomes and also increasing the levels of mortality from the disease.