ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: The present study examines the effects of the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic on radical prostatectomy performed as part of localized prostate cancer treatment in Turkey. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A retrospective analysis was made of the data of 176 patients from 8 centers in Turkey who underwent radical prostatectomy due to localized prostate cancer over the 2 years spanning March 1, 2019, to February 28, 2021. Within this timeframe, March 1, 2019, to February 28, 2020, was denoted the 1-year pre-coronavirus disease 2019 period, while March 1, 2020, to February 28, 2021, was denoted the 1-year coronavirus disease 2019 period. An analysis was made of whether there was a difference in the number of radical prostatectomies performed for prostate cancer, the time from biopsy to operation, and the biopsy and radical prostatectomy pathology between the 2 periods. RESULTS: It was found that the number of radical prostatectomies performed for localized prostate cancer during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic was statistically and highly significantly fewer than in the pre-coronavirus disease 2019 period (P <.001). The patients diagnosed with Gleason 3+3 (low risk) prostate cancer were statistically significantly fewer in number in the coronavirus disease 2019 period (P <.001). The pathological Gleason score was upgrading than the biopsy Gleason score in all patients who underwent in both periods (P <.001). When the periods were compared, the pathological involvement determined by lymph node dissection performed during radical prostatectomy was found to be decreased in the coronavirus disease 2019 period, although the difference was not statistically significant (P =.051). CONCLUSION: As with many diseases, the diagnosis and treatment of prostate cancer have been adversely affected by the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Some studies have shown that there may be an increase in the frequency of erectile dysfunction after COVID-19. However, no long-term study has investigated whether this is permanent or temporary. In this study, we aimed to examine whether there was an increase in the frequency of erectile dysfunction among individuals with a history of COVID-19, and, if there was, whether their condition improved over time. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this study, a total of 125 healthy male healthcare workers, 95 with and 30 without a history of COVID-19, were evaluated in terms of erectile function. Four study groups were formed. The first three groups consisted of individuals with a history of COVID-19 confirmed by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test at different times, who recovered from the disease (time elapsed since COVID-19 positivity: <6 months for Group 1, 6 to 12 months for Group 2, and >12 months for Group 3). The individuals in Group 4 did not have a history of COVID-19 diagnosis. In order to evaluate the erectile function of the participants, they were asked to complete the five-item International Index of Erectile Function questionnaire (IIEF-5). Then, statistical analyses were performed to evaluate whether there was a difference between the groups in terms of the IIEF-5 scores. RESULTS: There was a statistically significant difference between the groups in terms of the IIEF-5 scores (p < 0.001), and this difference was determined to be caused by the significantly higher IIEF-5 scores of Groups 3 and 4 compared to Group 1 (p = 0.004 and p < 0.001, respectively). In addition, the IIEF-5 score of Group 4 was statistically significantly higher than that of Group 2 (p < 0.001). However, the IIEF-5 scores did not statistically significantly differ between Groups 1 and 2, Groups 2 and 3, and Groups 3 and 4 (p > 0.999, p = 0.204, and p = 0.592, respectively). CONCLUSION: There may be deterioration in erectile function after COVID-19; however, this tends to improve over time, especially from the first year after active infection. Given that vascular, hormonal, and/or psychogenic factors may lead to the development of erectile dysfunction after COVID-19, we consider that in order to easily manage this process, it is important to determine the underlying cause, initiate appropriate treatment, and inform couples that this situation can be temporary.
ABSTRACT
Objective: The coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic effect diagnosis and treatment of certain conditions, including bladder cancer (BC). This study aimed to evaluate the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on BC diagnosis and treatment. Materials and Methods: Following the approval of the ethics committee for the study, data of 869 patients who underwent surgery for BC in the 2-year period between March 1, 2019 and February 28, 2021 were analyzed retrospectively. The number of surgeries performed for BC, the time elapsed between symptoms and diagnosis, the treatments performed, and the operative pathologies were compared before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Results: During the COVID-19 period, there was a decrease in the total number of BC surgeries compared to the pre-COVID-19 period (p=0.004). It was observed that this decrease was due to a decrease in patients newly diagnosed with BC (p=0.001) as well as the decrease in the number of primary transurethral resection for bladder tumor procedures performed. There was no difference in the tumor stages of the patients at diagnosis (p=0.9). Intracavitary Bacillus Calmette-Guérin therapy use in high-risk non-muscle invasive bladder cancers (NMIBC) patients also decreased (p=0.008) during the pandemic period. It was observed that the time between symptom and diagnosis was longer in MIBC than in NIMBC during both periods (p<0.001). Conclusion: Diagnosis and treatment of BC have been adversely affected by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The decrease in the number of new diagnoses may not reflect a true decrease in BC incidence, meaning that BC cases that arose during the pandemic are likely to be diagnosed at a more advanced stage.
ABSTRACT
Background: To investigate the use of internet resources by surgeons for continuing professional development (CPD). Results: This cross-sectional study was carried out between July 1, 2021, to October 31, 2021, at the Department of Medicine, Health Sciences University Diskapi Yildirim Beyazit Training and Research Hospital, Ankara, Turkey, with participants from nine surgical specialties: General surgery, neurosurgery, orthopedics, urology, plastic surgery, ear-nose-throat surgery, cardiovascular surgery, ophthalmology, and anesthesiology. All study participants were asked to complete a questionnaire comprising 23 questions regarding their age, duration of work experience, appointment status, venue, and time spent on internet resources and preferred online resources for CPD purposes. In addition, participants were divided into two groups according to their appointment status: academic faculty and staff surgeons. Data analysis was performed using IBM SPSS Statistics version 17.0. The target population consisted of 216 specialists. The survey was completed by 204 (94.4%) surgical specialists. The majority of the specialists (n = 137, 67.2%) reported using the internet for work-related purposes every day. Daily time spent on internet resources was reported to be 30-60â min by 39.2% (n = 80) participants, whereas 52 (25.5%) reported spending less than 30â min. The participants wished to spend more time on internet resources. The majority of surgeons found the hospital and home equally effective in using the internet and preferred to engage alone. The mean age, English language level, usage of online resources, and the attitude score toward the perceived credibility and usefulness of e-resources were significantly higher in the academic faculty group than staff surgeons (p < 0.005). On the other hand, the use of Google/Google scholar was similar between the two groups (p = 0.192). Technical difficulties such as slow internet, need for website registration, and article fees were considered drawbacks for internet resources among all the participants. Conclusions: This study showed that most surgeons use internet resources daily for CPD and stated they would like to engage longer despite technical difficulties. Institutions should address these technical difficulties.