The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Time to Treatment in Surgical Oncology: A National Registry Study in The Netherlands
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View abstract on PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.Despite healthcare system pressures during the COVID-19 pandemic, more surgical oncology patients in the Netherlands started treatment within six weeks. However, the overall number of procedures decreased, particularly for early-stage cancers.
Area Of Science
- Oncology
- Public Health
- Health Services Research
Background
- The COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacted healthcare systems globally, reducing capacity for regular surgical care.
- A 6-week norm for time to treatment initiation in oncological care was established in The Netherlands to prevent delays.
- Reduced surgical capacity during the pandemic raised concerns about timely cancer treatment.
Purpose Of The Study
- To investigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on treatment timelines in surgical oncology in The Netherlands.
- To compare time to treatment and adherence to the 6-week norm before and during the pandemic.
- To evaluate changes in patient characteristics and tumor stage distribution during the pandemic.
Main Methods
- Population-based analysis of data from five surgical audits.
- Inclusion of patients undergoing surgery for lung, colorectal, upper gastro-intestinal, and hepato-pancreato-biliary (HPB) malignancies.
- Comparison of a COVID-19 cohort (2020) with historic cohorts (2018-2019), analyzing time to treatment and proportion of patients treated within 6 weeks.
Main Results
- A total of 14,567 patients were analyzed; 3292 treatments began during the pandemic.
- Median time to treatment slightly decreased (26 vs. 27 days, p < 0.001), and the proportion of patients treated within 6 weeks increased (76% vs. 73%, p < 0.001).
- The number of weekly procedures decreased by 8.1%, most notably for stage I lung and colorectal cancers, with no significant difference in post-operative outcomes based on treatment timing.
Conclusions
- Despite pandemic-related healthcare pressures, a higher percentage of surgical oncology patients initiated treatment within the 6-week timeframe.
- This improvement may be attributed to cancer care prioritization and reduced elective procedures.
- A significant reduction in the overall number of surgical oncology procedures was observed during the pandemic, particularly affecting early-stage disease.
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