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Fox L, Beyer K, Rammant E, Morcom E, Van Hemelrijck M, Sullivan R, Vanderpuye V, Lombe D, Tsunoda AT, Kutluk T, Bhoo-Pathy N, Pramesh SC, Yusuf A, Booth CM, Shamieh O, Siesling S, Mukherji D. Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Cancer Researchers in 2020: A Qualitative Study of Events to Inform Mitigation Strategies. Front Public Health 2021; 9:741223. [PMID: 34966713 PMCID: PMC8711079 DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2021.741223] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2021] [Accepted: 11/01/2021] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic has had an unprecedented impact on global health systems and economies. With ongoing and future challenges posed to the field due to the pandemic, re-examining research priorities has emerged as a concern. As part of a wider project aiming to examine research priorities, here we aimed to qualitatively examine the documented impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on cancer researchers. Materials and Methods: We conducted a literature review with the aim of identifying non-peer-reviewed journalistic sources and institutional blog posts which qualitatively documented the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on cancer researchers. We searched on 12th January 2021 using the LexisNexis database and Google, using terms and filters to identify English-language media reports and blogs, containing references to both COVID-19 and cancer research. The targeted search returned 751 results, of which 215 articles met the inclusion criteria. These 215 articles were subjected to a conventional qualitative content analysis, to document the impacts of the pandemic on the field of cancer research. Results: Our analysis yielded a high plurality of qualitatively documented impacts, from which seven categories of direct impacts emerged: (1) COVID measures halting cancer research activity entirely; (2) COVID measures limiting cancer research activity; (3) forced adaptation of research protocols; (4) impacts on cancer diagnosis, cases, and services; (5) availability of resources for cancer research; (6) disruption to the private sector; and (7) disruption to supply chains. Three categories of consequences from these impacts also emerged: (1) potential changes to future research practice; (2) delays to the progression of the field; and (3) potential new areas of research interest. Discussion: The COVID-19 pandemic had extensive practical and economic effects on the field of cancer research in 2020 that were highly plural in nature. Appraisal of cancer research strategies in a post-COVID world should acknowledge the potential for substantial limitations (such as on financial resources, limited access to patients for research, decreased patient access to cancer care, staffing issues, administrative delays, or supply chain issues), exacerbated cancer disparities, advances in digital health, and new areas of research related to the intersection of cancer and COVID-19.
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Affiliation(s)
- Louis Fox
- School of Cancer and Pharmaceutical Sciences, King's College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Katharina Beyer
- School of Cancer and Pharmaceutical Sciences, King's College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Elke Rammant
- School of Cancer and Pharmaceutical Sciences, King's College London, London, United Kingdom.,Department of Human Structure and Repair, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Esme Morcom
- School of Cancer and Pharmaceutical Sciences, King's College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Mieke Van Hemelrijck
- School of Cancer and Pharmaceutical Sciences, King's College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Richard Sullivan
- School of Cancer and Pharmaceutical Sciences, King's College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Verna Vanderpuye
- National Centre for Radiotherapy, Oncology and Nuclear Medicine, Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, Accra, Ghana
| | - Dorothy Lombe
- Cancer Diseases Hospital & Research Centre, Lahore, Zambia
| | - Audrey Tieko Tsunoda
- Hospital Erasto Gaertner, PPGTS / Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Paraná, Curitiba, Brazil
| | - Tezer Kutluk
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Hacettepe University Faculty of Medicine, Ankara, Turkey
| | - Nirmala Bhoo-Pathy
- Centre for Epidemiology and Evidence-Based Practice, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | | | - Aasim Yusuf
- Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Centre, Lahore, Pakistan
| | | | - Omar Shamieh
- Department of Palliative Medicine, King Hussein Cancer Center, Amman, Jordan
| | - Sabine Siesling
- Department of Research and Development, Netherlands Comprehensive Cancer Organisation (IKNL), Utrecht, Netherlands.,Department of Health Technology and Services Research, Technical Medical Centre, University of Twente, Enschede, Netherlands
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