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Lee ML, Megwalu UC, Finegersh A, Noel JE, Chen MM. Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Thyroid Cancer Surgery. Curr Oncol 2024; 31:3579-3590. [PMID: 38920746 PMCID: PMC11202414 DOI: 10.3390/curroncol31060263] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2024] [Revised: 06/07/2024] [Accepted: 06/17/2024] [Indexed: 06/27/2024] Open
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic caused major disruptions to healthcare services in 2020, delaying cancer diagnosis and treatment. While early-stage thyroid cancer often progresses slowly, it is crucial to determine whether treatment delays associated with the pandemic have impacted the clinical presentation and management of advanced-stage thyroid cancer. The purpose of our study was to determine the impact of the early COVID-19 pandemic on thyroid cancer presentation and treatment times. Utilizing the National Cancer Database, chi-squared tests and regression analyses were performed to compare patient demographic and clinical characteristics over time for 56,011 patients diagnosed with primary thyroid cancer who were treated at the Commission on Cancer-accredited sites in 2019 and 2020. We found that thyroid cancer diagnoses decreased between 2019 and 2020, with the biggest drop among patients with cT1 disease relative to other T stages. We also found that patients diagnosed with thyroid cancer in 2020 had similar treatment times to patients diagnosed in 2019, as measured by both the time between diagnosis and start of treatment and the time between surgery and start of radioactive iodine therapy. Overall, our study suggests that resources during the pandemic were allocated to patients with advanced thyroid disease, despite a decrease in diagnoses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Max L. Lee
- Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA;
| | - Uchechukwu C. Megwalu
- Department of Otolaryngology--Head & Neck Surgery, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA 94304, USA; (U.C.M.); (A.F.); (J.E.N.)
| | - Andrey Finegersh
- Department of Otolaryngology--Head & Neck Surgery, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA 94304, USA; (U.C.M.); (A.F.); (J.E.N.)
| | - Julia E. Noel
- Department of Otolaryngology--Head & Neck Surgery, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA 94304, USA; (U.C.M.); (A.F.); (J.E.N.)
- Santa Clara Valley Medical Center, San Jose, CA 95128, USA
| | - Michelle M. Chen
- Department of Otolaryngology--Head & Neck Surgery, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA 94304, USA; (U.C.M.); (A.F.); (J.E.N.)
- ValleyCare Pleasanton Cancer Center, Pleasanton, CA 94588, USA
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Silva TS, Tavassoli M, Lee E, Annie Nguyen LA, Vu B, Sinjali K, Allison-Aipa T, Molina DC, Lum S. Timeliness of Multimodal Care for At-Risk Breast Cancer Patients at a Safety Net Institution. J Surg Res 2023; 291:367-373. [PMID: 37516043 DOI: 10.1016/j.jss.2023.06.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2022] [Revised: 05/05/2023] [Accepted: 06/18/2023] [Indexed: 07/31/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Because limited data exist, we sought to evaluate timeliness of multimodal treatments in a safety net breast cancer population. METHODS Breast cancer patients treated at a safety net hospital from 2016 to 2020 were analyzed retrospectively. Time intervals were defined as primary time (PT) from diagnosis to initiation of primary intervention, secondary time (ST) from completion of primary to initiation of secondary intervention, and tertiary time (TT) from completion of secondary to initiation of tertiary intervention. Variables included primary language, insurance type, and race. RESULTS Of 223 patients, 99 (44.4%) primarily spoke Spanish, 29 (13.0%) were of Black race, and 184 (82.5%) had Medicaid or uninsured status. Median (IQR) age at diagnosis was 55 (48-62) years. Primary intervention was surgical in 127/216 (58.8%); secondary intervention was systemic in 38/169 (22.5%); and tertiary intervention was radiation in 67/80 (83.8%). Overall, median days (IQR) for PT were 69 (53, 98), ST were 65 (42, 95), and TT were 69 (43, 88). PT was significantly longer in Black [105 (76, 142) days] patients compared to non-Hispanic White patients [68 (51, 107) days, P = 0.031)] and White Hispanic patients [65 (53,91) days, P = 0.014]. There were no significant differences in PT, ST, or TT by spoken language or insurance type. CONCLUSIONS Black patients remain at risk due to prolonged time to intervention. Spanish-speaking status was not associated with inferior timeliness or completion of multimodal care at a safety net hospital. Identifying safety net hospital barriers to achieving benchmarks for timely completion of all phases of multimodal care warrants further attention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Trevor S Silva
- Department of Surgery, Riverside University Health System, Moreno Valley, California
| | - Morvarid Tavassoli
- Department of Surgery, Riverside University Health System, Moreno Valley, California
| | - Esther Lee
- Department of Surgery, Riverside University Health System, Moreno Valley, California
| | - Lan-Anh Annie Nguyen
- Department of Surgery, Riverside University Health System, Moreno Valley, California
| | - Brandon Vu
- Department of Surgery, Riverside University Health System, Moreno Valley, California
| | - Kiran Sinjali
- Department of Radiology, Loma Linda University Health, Loma Linda, California
| | - Timothy Allison-Aipa
- Comparative Effectiveness and Clinical Outcomes Research Center (CECORC), Riverside University Health System, Moreno Valley, California
| | - David Caba Molina
- Department of Surgery, Riverside University Health System, Moreno Valley, California; Department of Surgery, Loma Linda University Health, Loma Linda, California
| | - Sharon Lum
- Department of Surgery, Riverside University Health System, Moreno Valley, California; Department of Surgery, Loma Linda University Health, Loma Linda, California.
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Gremke N, Griewing S, Bausch E, Alymova S, Wagner U, Kostev K, Kalder M. Therapy delay due to COVID-19 pandemic among European women with breast cancer: prevalence and associated factors. J Cancer Res Clin Oncol 2023; 149:11749-11757. [PMID: 37405476 PMCID: PMC10465653 DOI: 10.1007/s00432-023-05065-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2023] [Accepted: 06/29/2023] [Indexed: 07/06/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE This study investigates the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on breast cancer (BC) care, analyzing treatment delays and factors associated with them. METHODS This retrospective cross-sectional study analyzed data from the Oncology Dynamics (OD) database. Surveys of 26,933 women with BC performed between January 2021 and December 2022 in Germany, France, Italy, the United Kingdom, and Spain were examined. The study focused on determining the prevalence of treatment delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic, considering factors such as country, age group, treating facility, hormone receptor status, tumor stage, site of metastases, and Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) status. Baseline and clinical characteristics were compared for patients with and without therapy delay using chi-squared tests, and a multivariable logistic regression analysis was conducted to explore the association between demographic and clinical variables and therapy delay. RESULTS The present study found that most therapy delays lasted less than 3 months (2.4%). Factors associated with higher risk of delay included being bedridden (OR 3.62; 95% CI 2.51-5.21), receiving neoadjuvant therapy (OR 1.79; 95% CI 1.43-2.24) compared to adjuvant therapy, being treated in Italy (OR 1.58; 95% CI 1.17-2.15) compared to Germany or treatment in general hospitals and non-academic cancer facilities (OR 1.66, 95% CI 1.13-2.44 and OR 1.54; 95% CI 1.14-2.09, respectively) compared to treatment by office-based physicians. CONCLUSION Addressing factors associated with therapy delays, such as patient performance status, treatment settings, and geographic location, can help guide strategies for improved BC care delivery in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Niklas Gremke
- Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, University Hospital Marburg, Philipps-University Marburg, Baldingerstraße, 35043, Marburg, Germany.
- Institute of Molecular Oncology, Philipps-University Marburg, Hans-Meerwein-Straße 3, 35043, Marburg, Germany.
| | - Sebastian Griewing
- Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, University Hospital Marburg, Philipps-University Marburg, Baldingerstraße, 35043, Marburg, Germany
| | - Elena Bausch
- Real World Solutions, IQVIA, Unterschweinstiege 2-14, 60549, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Svetlana Alymova
- Real World Solutions, IQVIA, Unterschweinstiege 2-14, 60549, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Uwe Wagner
- Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, University Hospital Marburg, Philipps-University Marburg, Baldingerstraße, 35043, Marburg, Germany
| | - Karel Kostev
- IQVIA, Unterschweinstiege 2-14, 60549, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Matthias Kalder
- Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, University Hospital Marburg, Philipps-University Marburg, Baldingerstraße, 35043, Marburg, Germany
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Rasic G, Beaulieu-Jones BR, Chung SH, Romatoski KS, Kenzik K, Ng SC, Tseng JF, Sachs TE. The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Hepatocellular Carcinoma Time to Treatment Initiation: A National Cancer Database Study. Ann Surg Oncol 2023; 30:4249-4259. [PMID: 37099088 PMCID: PMC10132402 DOI: 10.1245/s10434-023-13468-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2023] [Accepted: 03/20/2023] [Indexed: 04/27/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The COVID-19 pandemic strained oncologic care access and delivery, yet little is known about how it impacted hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) management. Our study sought to evaluate the annual effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on time to treatment initiation (TTI) for HCC. METHODS The National Cancer Database was queried for patients diagnosed with clinical stages I-IV HCC (2017-2020). Patients were categorized based on their year of diagnosis as "Pre-COVID" (2017-2019) and "COVID" (2020). TTI based on stage and type of treatment first received was compared by the Mann-Whitney U test. A logistic regression model was used to evaluate factors of increased TTI and treatment delay (> 90 days). RESULTS In total, 18,673 patients were diagnosed during Pre-COVID, whereas 5249 were diagnosed during COVID. Median TTI for any first-line treatment modality was slightly shorter during the COVID year compared with Pre-COVID (49 vs. 51 days; p < 0.0001), notably in time to ablation (52 vs. 55 days; p = 0.0238), systemic therapy (42 vs. 47 days; p < 0.0001), and radiation (60 vs. 62 days; p = 0.0177), but not surgery (41 vs. 41 days; p = 0.6887). In a multivariate analysis, patients of Black race, Hispanic ethnicity, and uninsured/Medicaid/Other Government insurance status were associated with increased TTI by factors of 1.057 (95% CI: 1.022-1.093; p = 0.0013), 1.045 (95% CI: 1.010-1.081; p = 0.0104), and 1.088 (95% CI: 1.053-1.123; p < 0.0001), respectively. Similarly, these patient populations were associated with delayed treatment times. CONCLUSIONS For patients diagnosed during COVID, TTI for HCC, while statistically significant, had no clinically significant differences. However, vulnerable patients were more likely to have increased TTI.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gordana Rasic
- Department of Surgery, Boston University Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Surgery, Boston Medical Center, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Brendin R Beaulieu-Jones
- Department of Surgery, Boston University Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Surgery, Boston Medical Center, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Sophie H Chung
- Department of Surgery, Boston University Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Kelsey S Romatoski
- Department of Surgery, Boston University Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Kelly Kenzik
- Department of Surgery, Boston University Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Sing Chau Ng
- Department of Surgery, Boston University Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Jennifer F Tseng
- Department of Surgery, Boston University Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Surgery, Boston Medical Center, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Teviah E Sachs
- Department of Surgery, Boston University Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA.
- Department of Surgery, Boston Medical Center, Boston, MA, USA.
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Escobar N, Joseph KA. ASO Author Reflections: Same but Different: Implications of Surgical Delays for Breast Cancer Patients Treated in NYC Public Hospitals During the COVID-19 Pandemic. Ann Surg Oncol 2023; 30:31-32. [PMID: 36197559 PMCID: PMC9533985 DOI: 10.1245/s10434-022-12540-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2022] [Accepted: 08/28/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Natalie Escobar
- Department of Surgery, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, NYC Health and Hospitals/Bellevue, New York, NY USA
| | - Kathie-Ann Joseph
- Department of Surgery, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, NYC Health and Hospitals/Bellevue, New York, NY USA ,NYU Langone Health’s Institute for Excellence in Health Equity, New York, NY USA
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