Collateral effects of the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic on lung cancer diagnosis in Korea

BMC Cancer

Chang Youl Lee¹  Seung Hun Jang²  Sunghoon Park²  Ji Young Park²  Hwan Il Kim²  Joo-Hee Kim²  Ki-Suck Jung²  Yong Il Hwang²  Ye Jin Lee³  Taehee Kim⁴ 

[1] Division of Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care Medicine, Chuncheon Sacred Heart Hospital, Hallym University, Chuncheon, Republic of Korea;Division of Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Hallym University Sacred Heart Hospital, Hallym University Sacred Heart Hospital, 22 Gwanpyeong-ro 170 beon-gil, Dongan-gu, 14068, Anyang, Republic of Korea;Division of Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care Medicine, Kangdong Sacred Heart Hospital, Hallym University, Seoul, Republic of Korea;Division of Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care Medicine, Kangnam Sacred Heart Hospital, Hallym University, Seoul, Republic of Korea;

关键词: COVID-19;    Lung cancer;    Delay;    Diagnostics;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s12885-020-07544-3

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic is predicted to significantly affect patients with lung cancer, owing to its rapid progression and high mortality. Studies on lung cancer diagnosis and treatment during an epidemic are lacking. We analyzed the impact of COVID-19 on lung cancer diagnosis in Korea, where lung cancer incidence continues to rise.MethodsThe number of newly diagnosed lung cancer cases in three university-affiliated hospitals during the pandemic and their clinical features were compared with lung cancer cases diagnosed during the same period in the past 3 years. The effectiveness of measures taken by the study hospitals to prevent nosocomial transmission was reviewed.ResultsA total of 612 patients were diagnosed with lung cancer from February through June, 2017–2020. During the pandemic, the number of patients who sought consultation at the division of pulmonology of study hospitals dropped by 16% from the previous year. Responding to the pandemic, the involved hospitals created physically isolated triage areas for patients with acute respiratory infection symptoms. Wide-range screening and preventive measures were implemented, thus minimizing the delay in lung cancer diagnosis. No patient acquired COVID-19 due to hospital exposure. The proportion of patients with stage III–IV non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) significantly increased (2020: 74.7% vs. 2017: 57.9%, 2018: 66.7%, 2019: 62.7%, p = 0.011). The number of lung cancers diagnosed during this period and the previous year remained the same.ConclusionsThe proportion of patients with advanced NSCLC increased during the COVID-19 pandemic.

【 授权许可】

CC BY