Abstract
Objective : To assess the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the
diagnosis and treatment of patients at tertiary hospital in Poland.
Design, setting, participants : This was a retrospective review
of head and neck cancer patients presented to the multidisciplinary
tumour board (MTB) during the 12-month period from March 2020 through
February 2021 and compared to patients presented to the MTB during the
prior, pre-pandemic 12-month period from February 2019 to March 2020.
Main outcomes and measures : Patient demographic and clinical
variables were compared: sex; age at diagnosis; distance from hospital;
date of first visit, radiological diagnosis, pathology specimen, MTB
meeting, and initiation of primary and adjuvant treatment
Results : The number of patients presented to the MTB increased
by 22% (278 to 340) from the pre-pandemic to the pandemic period. The
mean time from MTB presentation to treatment initiation increased
significantly from 17.1 to 21.7 days. The mean time from first visit to
treatment start increased from 44.7 to 54.4 days. The proportion of
patients with early-stage oropharyngeal cancer who underwent primary
surgery rose from 47.3% to 86.6%. The percentage of patients who
received palliative radiotherapy increased from 20.5% to 32.9%. The
proportion of patients who received best supportive care rose from 1.8%
to 6.2%. Conclusion: One of the most notable findings of this
study was the increased time from first visit to treatment initiation,
which could negatively impact patient outcomes. The differences in the
treatment received in these two periods should be further evaluated to
determine their influence on survival
Key words : covid-19; head neck; pandemic; oncology