Heckel, Silvia and Bohr, Christopher and Meier, Johannes and Maurer, Julia and Kuenzel, Julian and Mueller, Karolina and Koelbl, Oliver and Reichert, Torsten and Vielsmeier, Veronika and Gruber, Isabella (2023) Head and neck oncology management in the time of COVID-19: results of a head and neck cancer center. JOURNAL OF CANCER RESEARCH AND CLINICAL ONCOLOGY, 149 (13). pp. 12081-12087. ISSN 0171-5216, 1432-1335
Full text not available from this repository. (Request a copy)Abstract
PurposeGiven the concerns about the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on cancer care, we analyzed the treatment quality of the head and neck cancer center Regensburg before and throughout 2 years of the pandemic. We included data of 3 years to reflect the extended pandemic period as new developments continued to influence its course.MethodsThis retrospective review included all patients diagnosed with head and neck cancer in 2019, 2020, and 2021 who had not started treatment elsewhere prior to being referred to the head and neck cancer center. We compared tumor characteristics and times to therapy of patients diagnosed before COVID-19 in 2019 (n = 253), during COVID-19 in 2020 (n = 206), and in a phase of partial normalization in a persistent pandemic situation in 2021 (n = 247).ResultsOur data revealed no decrease in diagnoses or drift in stages toward more advanced stages. There was an increased percentage of diagnoses confirmed at the head and neck cancer center from 2019 (57.3%) to 2020 (68.0%) and to 2021 (65.6%) compared to confirmation at other institutions (2019, 42.7%; 2020, 32.0%; 2021, 34.4%; P = 0.041). Surgery and radiotherapy were performed with the same frequency. The median days between diagnosis and surgery were decreased in 2020 (19.5 days; P = 0.049) and 2021 (20.0 days; P = 0.026) in comparison to 2019 (23 days). The days to radiotherapy were not affected.ConclusionThe data indicate a consistent oncological performance for head and neck cancer patients in all waves of the pandemic and thereafter without a decrease in diagnoses or shift in stages.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | ; Pandemic; COVID-19; Cancer care; Oncologic surgery; Head and neck cancer; Oncological performance |
| Subjects: | 600 Technology > 610 Medical sciences Medicine |
| Divisions: | Medicine > Lehrstuhl für Hals-Nasen-Ohren-Heilkunde Medicine > Lehrstuhl für Mund-, Kiefer- und Gesichtschirurgie Medicine > Lehrstuhl für Strahlentherapie Medicine > Zentren des Universitätsklinikums Regensburg > Zentrum für Klinische Studien |
| Depositing User: | Dr. Gernot Deinzer |
| Date Deposited: | 08 Mar 2024 11:37 |
| Last Modified: | 08 Mar 2024 11:37 |
| URI: | https://pred.uni-regensburg.de/id/eprint/59150 |
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