COVID-19 pandemic telephone two-week-wait referrals in Head and Neck
cancer – How safe were they?: A retrospective cohort study
Abstract
Key Points 1. During the COVID-19 pandemic, NHS cancer referral guidance
recommended a move from face-to-face clinics to telephone appointment.
In this study, we reviewed the safety of telephone clinic for urgent
2-week wait cancer referrals. 2. In the 7 months study period during the
COVID-19 pandemic, 1062 urgent 2-week wait cancer referrals were
received in our regional head and neck specialist unit, reflecting a
7.3% decline compared to pre-pandemic data. 3. At 6-months follow-up,
98 (9.2%) patients received a new diagnosis of malignancy. 95 of them
received their diagnoses promptly after their initial telephone clinic,
whereas 3 patients received a delayed diagnosis. 4. There is a late
diagnosis rate of 0.28% but we discussed in our cases that late
diagnosis does not inevitably lead to worse clinical outcome or harm. 5.
Telephone clinics will likely remain in some capacity after the
pandemic, while telephone clinics are pragmatic means to maintain
patient flow during the pandemic, they could result in risk of late
diagnosis.