ABSTRACT
Aim This study aimed to investigate the effect of the coronavirus disease pandemic on the number of surgeries for gastroenterological cancer cases in Japan. Methods The data recorded in the National Clinical Database of Japan between 2018 and 2020 were utilized for this study. Five specific surgeries for primary cancers and surgery for acute diffuse peritonitis were considered the primary endpoints. We divided the study period into the prepandemic and postpandemic (after April 2020) periods and examined the number of surgeries in relation to clinical factors. Results Overall, 228 860 surgeries were analyzed. Among the five primary cancer surgeries, the number of distal gastrectomies for gastric cancer decreased the most (to 81.0% of the monthly number in the prepandemic period), followed by that of low anterior resections for rectal cancer (91.4%). In contrast, the number of pancreaticoduodenectomies for pancreatic cancer increased by 7.1%, while that of surgeries for peritonitis remained stable. This trend was observed nationwide. We also noted a marked reduction in the number of distal gastrectomy (to 72.5%), low anterior resection (84.0%), and esophagectomy (88.8%) procedures for T1 tumors. The noncurative resection rate and mortalities were low despite the increased proportion of T4 tumors and older patients. Conclusion A marked reduction in surgeries for gastric and rectal cancers with early T factors may reflect prioritization of surgeries and reduction in cancer screenings. Although the quality of the surgery was maintained in terms of reduced mortalities and morbidities, the long‐term effects of this pandemic should be monitored. The number of surgeries for gastroenterological cancer across Japan declined soon after the state of emergency declared during the COVID‐19 pandemic. The remarkable decline in T1/T2 tumors is suggestive of the prioritization or loss of the opportunity for cancer screening. The rates of severe complications and mortality were not worsened by COVID‐19, even for acute diffuse peritonitis. However, the observed reduction in the cases and lack of rebound deserve further evaluation and public motivation to promote cancer screening.
ABSTRACT
Aim: This study aimed to investigate the effect of the coronavirus disease pandemic on the number of surgeries for gastroenterological cancer cases in Japan. Methods: The data recorded in the National Clinical Database of Japan between 2018 and 2020 were utilized for this study. Five specific surgeries for primary cancers and surgery for acute diffuse peritonitis were considered the primary endpoints. We divided the study period into the prepandemic and postpandemic (after April 2020) periods and examined the number of surgeries in relation to clinical factors. Results: Overall, 228 860 surgeries were analyzed. Among the five primary cancer surgeries, the number of distal gastrectomies for gastric cancer decreased the most (to 81.0% of the monthly number in the prepandemic period), followed by that of low anterior resections for rectal cancer (91.4%). In contrast, the number of pancreaticoduodenectomies for pancreatic cancer increased by 7.1%, while that of surgeries for peritonitis remained stable. This trend was observed nationwide. We also noted a marked reduction in the number of distal gastrectomy (to 72.5%), low anterior resection (84.0%), and esophagectomy (88.8%) procedures for T1 tumors. The noncurative resection rate and mortalities were low despite the increased proportion of T4 tumors and older patients. Conclusion: A marked reduction in surgeries for gastric and rectal cancers with early T factors may reflect prioritization of surgeries and reduction in cancer screenings. Although the quality of the surgery was maintained in terms of reduced mortalities and morbidities, the long-term effects of this pandemic should be monitored.
ABSTRACT
Owing to the pandemic caused by the coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19), several universities have closed their campuses for preventing the spread of infection. Consequently, the university classes are being held over the Internet, and students attend these classes from their homes. While the COVID-19 pandemic is expected to be prolonged, the online-centric lifestyle has raised concerns about secondary health issues caused by reduced physical activity (PA). However, the actual status of PA among university students has not yet been examined in Japan. Hence, in this study, we collected daily PA data (including the data corresponding to the number of steps taken and the data associated with six types of activities) by employing smartphones and thereby analyzed the changes in the PA of university students. The PA data were collected over a period of ten weeks from 305 first-year university students who were attending a mandatory class of physical education at the university. The obtained results indicate that compared to the average number of steps taken before the COVID-19 pandemic (6474.87 steps), the average number of steps taken after the COVID-19 pandemic (3522.5 steps) has decreased by 45.6%. Furthermore, the decrease in commuting time (7 AM to 10 AM), classroom time, and extracurricular activity time (11 AM to 12 AM) has led to a decrease in PA on weekdays owing to reduced unplanned exercise opportunities and has caused an increase in the duration of being in the stationary state in the course of daily life.