Status
Ongoing
Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Belgian Cancer Registry (BCR) has closely followed its impact on cancer patients. Not only did we study the drop in the number of new cancer diagnoses and the risk of excess mortality among cancer survivors, we also looked at the distribution of tumour stages at diagnosis, possible adjustments to the care pathway, and survival.
During the first waves of the COVID-19 pandemic, non-essential care, including cancer screening, was interrupted several times. People were advised to stay at home, and both GPs and hospitals faced high workloads. Patients with already diagnosed cancer were considered to be at high risk of possible complications due to COVID-19.
Thanks to the accelerated delivery of data from pathological anatomy laboratories, BCR was soon able to make an initial estimate of the decline in diagnoses during the first wave of the pandemic. Analyses were repeated regularly to monitor the evolution of these figures. Additionally, to investigate whether delayed diagnoses led to a higher tumour stage at cancer diagnosis, analyses took place with a focus on the distribution of tumour stages at diagnosis. These analyses were based on cancer registration data from oncology care programmes and pathology services and data from the Agence InterMutualiste (AIM) (the agency responsible for collating data from Belgium’s seven health insurance funds). Finally, out of concern for the expected higher risk for cancer patients, we also examined whether patients with a history of cancer had an increased risk of death during the pandemic.
Firstly, the analyses showed that the number of diagnoses decreased by 43% during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in April 2020, compared with the same period in 2019. By the end of 2020, 5% fewer diagnoses had been made and, by the end of 2021, the figure was still 2% lower than in 2019. Secondly, during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, the excess mortality among patients with a history of cancer was no different from that in the general population.
These results are important for making evidence-based recommendations to optimise patient outcomes during periods when the healthcare system is under additional pressure, such as during the COVID-19 pandemic. They will be communicated in the form of scientific publications and through press releases.
During the first waves of the COVID-19 pandemic, non-essential care, including cancer screening, was interrupted several times. People were advised to stay at home, and both GPs and hospitals faced high workloads. Patients with already diagnosed cancer were considered to be at high risk of possible complications due to COVID-19.
Thanks to the accelerated delivery of data from pathological anatomy laboratories, BCR was soon able to make an initial estimate of the decline in diagnoses during the first wave of the pandemic. Analyses were repeated regularly to monitor the evolution of these figures. Additionally, to investigate whether delayed diagnoses led to a higher tumour stage at cancer diagnosis, analyses took place with a focus on the distribution of tumour stages at diagnosis. These analyses were based on cancer registration data from oncology care programmes and pathology services and data from the Agence InterMutualiste (AIM) (the agency responsible for collating data from Belgium’s seven health insurance funds). Finally, out of concern for the expected higher risk for cancer patients, we also examined whether patients with a history of cancer had an increased risk of death during the pandemic.
Firstly, the analyses showed that the number of diagnoses decreased by 43% during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in April 2020, compared with the same period in 2019. By the end of 2020, 5% fewer diagnoses had been made and, by the end of 2021, the figure was still 2% lower than in 2019. Secondly, during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, the excess mortality among patients with a history of cancer was no different from that in the general population.
These results are important for making evidence-based recommendations to optimise patient outcomes during periods when the healthcare system is under additional pressure, such as during the COVID-19 pandemic. They will be communicated in the form of scientific publications and through press releases.
COVID-19 and cancer