The Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on diagnosis rates and abandonment
of treatment in West Java, Indonesia
Abstract
The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the care of children with cancer
in LMIC is of great concern, particularly on diagnosis and abandonment
of treatment rates. Data supporting this concern however is limited to
survey and anecdotal information. A retrospective with two cohorts
design was used to compare new diagnosis and monthly abandonment rate in
Java, Indonesia. We found that new diagnoses rates had dropped
significantly during Indonesia’s first wave as compared to a
pre-pandemic cohort [rate ratio 0.57, 95th (CI) 0.41-0.79)] and that
as the first wave progressed, abandonment rates also rose in a
statistically significant manner.