Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on cancer diagnoses, oncological care and cancer patients in Germany: a report from the “COVID & Cancer” workshop 2023 of the German Society for Epidemiology (DGEpi).

Publication date: Nov 09, 2024

The COVID-19 pandemic was associated with severe disruptions in healthcare worldwide. Cancer patients are at particular risk of adverse consequences from delays in diagnosis and treatment. To evaluate the available data on the impact of the pandemic on cancer diagnoses, oncological care and patient well-being in Germany, the German Society for Epidemiology (DGEpi) in collaboration with the Epidemiological Cancer Registry of Lower Saxony invited to a workshop on “COVID & Cancer” (held on 26-27 October 2023 in Hanover, Germany). This report provides a summary of the scientific presentations, highlights methodological challenges, and recognises essential evidence gaps. Twelve studies addressing various aspects in relation to cancer diagnoses, oncological care and patient well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic in Germany and two talks sharing experiences from the UK and the Netherlands were presented at the workshop. Results from German cancer registries consistently showed lower number of incident cancer diagnoses among adults during the first months of the pandemic compared to the respective months of the years before the pandemic. Data from the cancer registries of Baden-WcFCrttemberg and Lower Saxony found especially for breast cancer a notable drop (by approximately one third) in the numbers of diagnoses during the first restriction period (April-May 2020), during which the nationwide mammography screening programme in Germany was temporarily suspended. Overall, the extent and ways, in which the pandemic had adversely affected cancer diagnoses, oncological care and created service backlogs, is still not adequately understood. The long-term consequences are yet to be determined.

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Concepts Keywords
Cancer Adverse consequences
October Cancer care
Pandemic COVID-19
Saxony COVID-19 pandemic
Therapy Delayed diagnosis
Female
Germany
Germany
Humans
Incidence
Medical Oncology
Neoplasms
Pandemics
Registries
SARS-CoV-2

Semantics

Type Source Name
disease MESH COVID-19 pandemic
disease MESH cancer
disease MESH breast cancer
pathway KEGG Breast cancer
disease MESH syndrome
disease MESH non communicable diseases
drug DRUGBANK Nonoxynol-9
disease IDO country
drug DRUGBANK Tretamine
disease MESH carcinomas
disease IDO history
disease MESH lymphomas
disease IDO cell
disease MESH infections
pathway REACTOME Immune System
disease MESH death
disease MESH anxiety
disease MESH depression
disease MESH psychosocial functioning
drug DRUGBANK Serine
drug DRUGBANK Fenamole
disease MESH missed diagnoses
disease IDO infection
disease MESH uncertainty
disease MESH recurrences
drug DRUGBANK Coenzyme M
disease MESH prostate cancer
pathway KEGG Prostate cancer
drug DRUGBANK Trestolone
disease MESH treatment delays
disease MESH Blood Cancer
disease IDO blood
pathway REACTOME Reproduction
disease MESH colorectal cancer
pathway KEGG Colorectal cancer
drug DRUGBANK Arbutin
disease MESH morbidities

Original Article

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