Covid-19 outbreak in Lombardy: impact on reducing solid cancer diagnoses in 2020
Ce dossier présente un ensemble d'articles concernant la prise en charge des cancers durant la crise sanitaire liée au COVID-19
Our aim was to analyse, on a population level, the year-long decline in cancer diagnoses in the region of Lombardy (Italy), and to characterise the tumours with the greatest reduction in diagnosis by patient age, sex, and tumour stage at diagnosis. We used the health care utilization databases of the Lombardy region to identify cancer patients’ characteristics (e.g. sex, age) and cancer-related information (e.g. cancer site, stage at diagnosis). The frequency of new cancer diagnoses in 2019 and 2020 were compared in terms of percentage differences in undiagnosed cases. We observed two peaks in the decline in cancer diagnoses: March-May 2020 (-37%) and October-December 2020 (-19%). The decline persisted over the course of 2020 and was higher in males and patients aged 74+. Diagnoses of all four common cancers analysed (female breast, lung, colorectal, and prostate) remained below pre-pandemic levels. For breast and colorectal cancers, the decline in diagnoses was high in the age groups targeted by population-based screening programmes. We observed a reduction in localised stage cancer diagnoses for all four cancers. Our data confirm that timely monitoring of cancer diagnoses and interventions to prevent disruption of routine diagnostic services are needed to mitigate the impact of emergencies on cancer patients.
International Journal of Cancer , article en libre accès, 2021