Gastric cancer diagnosis and staging in coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic.

AIM: The aim of the study was to analyze whether COVID-19 cause a delay in the diagnosis of gastric cancer patients particularly in the TNM staging of the tumor, or not. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This retrospective single-center study included the patients diagnosed with gastric cancer from March, 2019 to December 2020. The patients were divided into two groups: baseline and the pandemic groups. The following parameters were compared between the groups; demographic data, numbers of newly diagnosed patients, type of the surgery, location of the tumor, frequency of neoadjuvant treatment, ASA score, length of hospital stay, clinical staging and pathologic TNM staging. RESULTS: The mean monthly number of newly diagnosed gastric cancer patients showed a significant decline from 7.5 to 5.6 (p< .001). There were no statistically significant differences between the groups with regard to the demographic factors, except CA 19-9 levels. Patients in the pandemic group had higher both clinical and pathological T-stages (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Our study showed a decline in the number of the newly diagnosed patients with gastric cancer during the pandemic and also more patients presented with advanced stage during the pandemic period. This study showed that the pandemic causes a potential delay in the diagnosis of gastric cancer patients. KEY WORDS: Cancer surgery, COVID-19, Gastric cancer, Gastric surgery SARS-COV-2, Pandemic.

Gastric cancer diagnosis and staging in coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic.

AIM: The aim of the study was to analyze whether COVID-19 cause a delay in the diagnosis of gastric cancer patients particularly in the TNM staging of the tumor, or not. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This retrospective single-center study included the patients diagnosed with gastric cancer from March, 2019 to December 2020. The patients were divided into two groups: baseline and the pandemic groups. The following parameters were compared between the groups; demographic data, numbers of newly diagnosed patients, type of the surgery, location of the tumor, frequency of neoadjuvant treatment, ASA score, length of hospital stay, clinical staging and pathologic TNM staging. RESULTS: The mean monthly number of newly diagnosed gastric cancer patients showed a significant decline from 7.5 to 5.6 (p< .001). There were no statistically significant differences between the groups with regard to the demographic factors, except CA 19-9 levels. Patients in the pandemic group had higher both clinical and pathological T-stages (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Our study showed a decline in the number of the newly diagnosed patients with gastric cancer during the pandemic and also more patients presented with advanced stage during the pandemic period. This study showed that the pandemic causes a potential delay in the diagnosis of gastric cancer patients. KEY WORDS: Cancer surgery, COVID-19, Gastric cancer, Gastric surgery SARS-COV-2, Pandemic.

Evaluating the feasibility of performing elective gastrointestinal cancer surgery during the COVID-19 pandemic: An observational study with 60 days follow-up results of a tertiary referral pandemic hospital.

BACKGROUND: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has interfered with the treatment algorithm for patients with gastrointestinal (GIS) cancer, resulting in deferral of surgery. We presented the outcomes of our patients to evaluate whether surgery could be safely performed and followed-up without delaying any stage of GIS cancer during the pandemic. METHODS: This was an observational study of 177 consecutive patients who underwent elective GIS cancer surgery between March 11 and November 1, 2020. They were assessed regarding their perioperative and 60 days follow-up results for either surgical or COVID-19 status. Morbidity was determined according to the Clavien-Dindo classification (CDC). Continuous and categorical data were presented as median ± SD and number with percentage (%), respectively. RESULTS: The study included 44 gastric, 33 pancreatic, 40 colon, and 59 rectal cancer patients. All patients underwent surgery and received neo/adjuvant treatments without delay. The overall morbidity (CDC grade II-IV) and mortality rates were 10.1% and 3.9%, respectively. None of the patients or medical staff were infected with COVID-19 during the study period. CONCLUSION: GIS cancer surgery can be safely performed even within a pandemic hospital if proper isolation measures can be achieved for both patients and health workers. Regardless of the tumor stage, surgery should not be deferred, depending on unstandardized algorithms.