Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Diagnosis and Management of Gynecological Cancer: A Single-Center Analysis.

Background and Objectives: The COVID-19 pandemic impacted health systems worldwide, particularly cancer care. Because the actual implications of these changes on gynecological oncology healthcare are still unclear, we aim to evaluate the impact of this pandemic on the diagnosis and management of gynecological cancer. Materials and Methods: This is a single-center retrospective observational study, including patients diagnosed with gynecological malignancies between January 2019 and December 2021. Patients were included into three groups based on the timing of cancer diagnosis: pre-pandemic (2019), pandemic with high restrictions (2020) and pandemic recovery (2021). Results: Overall, 234 patients were diagnosed with gynecological cancer during the period of study. A decrease in the number of newly diagnosed cervical cancers and other rare tumors (leiomyosarcoma, invasive hydatidiform mole) was apparent in 2020. Some aggressive histological types of endometrial and ovarian cancer were more commonly diagnosed in the pandemic recovery group (p < 0.05), although no differences were demonstrated concerning tumor staging in all gynecological cancers. The median time between the first multidisciplinary team meeting and the treatment initiation was higher after the COVID-19 pandemic in endometrial cancer (23.0 vs. 34.0 vs. 36.0 days, p < 0.05). Patients with ovarian cancer were more frequently proposed for neoadjuvant therapy in 2020 compared to the other periods (33.3% vs. 55.0% vs. 10.0% p < 0.05). A significant reduction in the laparoscopic approach was observed during 2020 in endometrial cancer (32.1% vs. 14.3% vs. 36.4%, p < 0.05). No significant differences were registered regarding median hospitalization days or intra- and post-operative complications between these periods. Conclusions: The COVID-19 pandemic had a significant impact on the diagnosis and management of most gynecological malignancies, namely, on time to first treatment, chosen oncological therapies and surgical approaches. These results suggest important clinical and healthcare implications that should be addressed in future prospective studies.

Perioperative SARS-CoV-2 infection among women undergoing major gynecologic cancer surgery in the COVID-19 era: A nationwide, cohort study from Turkey.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to determine the rate of perioperative SARS-CoV-2 infection among gynecologic cancer patients undergoing major surgery. METHODS: The database of the Turkish Ministry of Health was searched in order to identify all consecutive gynecologic cancer patients undergoing major surgery between March 11, 2020 and April 30, 2020 for this retrospective, nationwide, cohort study. The inclusion criteria were strictly founded on a final histopathological diagnosis of a malignant gynecologic tumor. COVID-19 cases were diagnosed by reverse transcriptase- polymerase chain reaction testing for SARS-CoV-2. The rate of perioperative SARS-CoV-2 infection and the 30-day mortality rate of COVID-19 patients were investigated. RESULTS: During the study period, 688 women with gynecologic cancer undergoing major surgery were identified nationwide. The median age of the patients was 59 years. Most of the surgeries were open (634/688, 92.2%). There were 410 (59.6%) women with endometrial cancer, 195 (28.3%) with ovarian cancer, 66 (9.6%) with cervical cancer, 14 (2.0%) with vulvar cancer and 3 (0.4%) with uterine sarcoma. The rate of SARS-CoV-2 infections confirmed within 7 days before or 30 days after surgery was 46/688 (6.7%). All but one woman was diagnosed postoperatively (45/46, 97.8%). The rates of intensive care unit admission and invasive mechanical ventilation were 4/46 (8.7%) and 2/46 (4.3%), respectively. The 30-day mortality rate was 0%. CONCLUSION: In the COVID-19 era, gynecologic cancer surgery may be performed with an acceptable rate of perioperative SARS-CoV-2 infection if the staff and the patients strictly adhere to the established infection control measures.

Alternative management for gynecological cancer care during the COVID-2019 pandemic: A Latin American survey.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the acceptance rate of treatment alternatives for women with either preinvasive conditions or gynecologic cancers during the COVID-19 pandemic among Latin American gynecological cancer specialists. METHODS: Twelve experts in gynecological cancer designed an electronic survey, according to recommendations from international societies, using an online platform. The survey included 22 questions on five topics: consultation care, preinvasive cervical pathology, and cervical, ovarian, and endometrial cancer. The questionnaire was distributed to 1052 specialists in 14 Latin American countries. A descriptive analysis was carried out using statistical software. RESULTS: A total of 610 responses were received, for an overall response rate of 58.0%. Respondents favored offering teleconsultation as triage for post-cancer treatment follow-up (94.6%), neoadjuvant chemotherapy in advanced stage epithelial ovarian cancer (95.6%), and total hysterectomy with bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy and defining adjuvant treatment with histopathological features in early stage endometrial cancer (85.4%). Other questions showed agreement rates of over 64%, except for review of pathology results in person and use of upfront concurrent chemoradiation for early stage cervical cancer (disagreement 56.4% and 58.9%, respectively). CONCLUSION: Latin American specialists accepted some alternative management strategies for gynecological cancer care during the COVID-19 pandemic, which may reflect the region's particularities. The COVID-19 pandemic led Latin American specialists to accept alternative management strategies for gynecological cancer care, especially regarding surgical decisions.