Effects of COVID-19 pandemic on colorectal cancer surgery

ABSTRACT BACKGROUND: The coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) pandemic has changed the course of diseases that require emergency surgery. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on colorectal cancer disease stage. DESIGN AND SETTING: Retrospective analysis in the city of Rize, Turkey. METHODS: This was a comparative analysis on two groups of patients with various symptoms who underwent surgical colorectal cancer treatment. Group 1 comprised patients operated between March 11, 2019, and December 31, 2019; while group 2 comprised patients at the same time of the year during the COVID-19 pandemic. RESULTS: Groups 1 and 2 included 56 and 48 patients, respectively. The rate of presentation to the emergency service was higher in Group 2 (P < 0.02). The stage of the pathological lymph nodes and the rate of liver metastasis was higher in Group 2 (P < 0.004 and P < 0.041, respectively). The disease stage was found to be more advanced in Group 2 (P < 0.005). The rate of postoperative complications was higher in Group 2 (P < 0.014). CONCLUSION: The presentation of patients with suspicious findings to the hospital was delayed, due both to the fear of catching COVID-19 and to the pandemic precautions that were proposed and implemented by healthcare authorities worldwide. Among the patients who presented to the hospital with emergency complaints and in whom colorectal cancer was detected, their disease was at a more advanced stage and thus a higher number of emergency oncological surgical procedures were performed on those patients.

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on emergency general surgery: a retrospective study

ABSTRACT BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic has affected healthcare systems worldwide. The effect of the pandemic on emergency general surgery patients remains unknown. OBJECTIVE: To reveal the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on mortality and morbidity among emergency general surgery cases. DESIGN AND SETTING: Data on patients who were admitted to the emergency department of a tertiary hospital in Samsun, Turkey, and had consultations at the general surgery clinic were analyzed retrospectively. METHODS: Our study included comparative analysis on two groups of patients who received emergency general surgery consultations in our hospital: during the COVID-19 pandemic period (Group 2); and on the same dates one year previously (Group 1). RESULTS: There were 195 patients in Group 1 and 132 in Group 2 (P < 0.001). While 113 (58%) of the patients in Group 1 were women, only 58 (44%) were women in Group 2 (P = 0.013). Considering all types of diagnosis, there was no significant difference between the two groups (P = 0.261). The rates of abscess and delayed abdominal emergency diseases were higher in Group 2: one case (0.5%) versus ten cases (8%); P < 0.001. The morbidity rate was higher in Group 2 than in Group 1: three cases (1.5%) versus nine cases (7%); P = 0.016. CONCLUSIONS: The COVID-19 pandemic has decreased the number of unnecessary nonemergency admissions to the emergency department, but has not delayed patients' urgent consultations. The pandemic has led surgeons to deal with more complicated cases and greater numbers of complications.