Silveira VB, Schwengber WK, Hetzel GM, Zanella AB, Scheffel RS, Maia AL, Dora JM. Effect of COVID-19 pandemic on diagnosis and treatment of thyroid cancer in Brazil.
Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) 2022;
13:995329. [PMID:
36277724 PMCID:
PMC9581141 DOI:
10.3389/fendo.2022.995329]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2022] [Accepted: 09/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION
The COVID-19 pandemic delayed the diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up visits of patients with thyroid cancer. However, the magnitude with which these restrictions affected the Brazilian health care is still unknown.
METHODS
Retrospective analysis of thyroid cancer-related procedures performed in the Brazilian public health system from 2019 to 2021. Data were retrieved from the Department of Informatics of the Unified Health System (DATASUS). The following procedures were evaluated: fine-needle aspiration biopsies (FNABs), oncologic thyroidectomies, and radioiodine (RAI) therapies for thyroid cancer. The year of 2019 served as baseline control.
RESULTS
Compared with 2019, FNABs, oncologic thyroidectomies, and RAI therapies performed in 2020 decreased by 29%, 17% and 28%, respectively. In 2021, compared with 2019, FNABs increased by 2%, and oncologic thyroidectomies and RAI therapies decreased by 5% and 25%, respectively. Most pronounced reductions were observed in the first months of the pandemic. In April 2020, FNABs decreased by 67%, oncologic thyroidectomies by 45%, and RAI therapies by 75%. In 2021, RAI therapies were the only procedure with a statistically significant decrease.
CONCLUSION
The restrictions to public health care during the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in a significant reduction in diagnostic and treatment procedures for thyroid cancer in Brazil. The effects of these transitory gaps in thyroid cancer care, due to COVID-19, are still unclear.
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