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Decrease in the number of patients diagnosed with cancer during the COVID-19 pandemic in Germany
Louis Jacob1,2, Matthias Kalder3, Karel Kostev4
1Research and Development Unit, Parc Sanitari Sant Joan de Déu/CIBERSAM, Dr. Antoni Pujadas, 42, Sant Boi de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain.
Journal of Cancer Research and Clinical Oncology
|January 18, 2022
Summary
The COVID-19 pandemic led to a significant decrease in new cancer diagnoses in German practices. Public health strategies are needed to address the impact on cancer detection.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Public Health
- Epidemiology
Background:
- The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on cancer diagnosis remains largely unknown.
- Understanding these effects is crucial for public health planning in Germany.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare cancer diagnoses in German general and specialized practices before and after the first COVID-19 lockdown.
- To quantify the change in newly diagnosed cancer cases between April 2019-March 2020 and April 2020-March 2021.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective study of 1403 general and specialized practices in Germany.
- Inclusion of over 3.8 million patient records per year (April 2020-March 2021 and April 2019-March 2020).
- Analysis of cancer diagnoses (ICD-10 codes C00-C97) using Wilcoxon tests.
Main Results:
- A decrease in cancer diagnoses was observed across all practice types.
- General practices saw a significant 7.1% decline in new cancer diagnoses (p=0.038).
- Skin cancer diagnoses dropped by 12.8% (p=0.025).
Conclusions:
- The COVID-19 pandemic is linked to reduced cancer diagnoses in Germany.
- Urgent public health interventions are necessary to counteract the negative effects on cancer detection.
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