ABSTRACT
The Polish Society of Colposcopy and Cervical Pathophysiology (PTKiPSM) together with the Polish Society of Gynecologists and Obstetricians (PTGiP) issued a final summary of interim guidelines for secondary cervical cancer prevention during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic based on the analysis of the latest directional publications and the authors' own experiences. The aim of the summary is to facilitate the implementation of the most effective possible screening of cervical precancerous lesions and cervical cancer due to temporary significant limitation of screening as a consequence of the ongoing epidemiological threat. These final guidelines are taking into account the 2020 call of the World Health Organization (WHO) for global epidemiological elimination of cervical cancer. The guidelines supplement the interim guidelines of PTKiPSM and PTGiP announced in March 2020 on the possible deferral of diagnostic and therapeutic procedures in patients with abnormal screening tests results in secondary prevention of cervical cancer in current pandemic.
Subject(s)
Colposcopy , Early Detection of Cancer/methods , Mass Screening/methods , Secondary Prevention , Uterine Cervical Neoplasms/diagnosis , Uterine Cervical Neoplasms/prevention & control , Algorithms , COVID-19/epidemiology , Female , Humans , Pandemics , Poland , Precancerous Conditions/diagnosis , Precancerous Conditions/prevention & control , Precancerous Conditions/surgery , SARS-CoV-2 , Uterine Cervical Neoplasms/surgeryABSTRACT
The Polish Society of Gynecologists and Obstetricians and Polish Society of Colposcopy and Cervical Pathophysiology Interim Guidelines goal at aiding gynecologists in providing a cervical cancer prevention care during the evolving SARS-CoV-2 pan-demic. Presented guidelines were developed on a review of limited data and updated when new relevant publications were revealed. Timing for deferrals of diagnostic-therapeutic procedures were mostly covered in the guidelines. Also, a support for the existing Polish recommendations on abnormal screening results in a subject of minor and major screening abnor-malities terminology were given. The guidelines are obligatory for the specified COVID-19 pandemic period only and they might be changed depending on the new available evidence.
Subject(s)
Cervix Uteri/pathology , Colposcopy , Coronavirus Infections , Early Detection of Cancer , Pandemics , Pneumonia, Viral , Uterine Cervical Dysplasia , Uterine Cervical Neoplasms , Betacoronavirus , COVID-19 , Colposcopy/methods , Colposcopy/standards , Communicable Disease Control/methods , Communicable Disease Control/organization & administration , Coronavirus Infections/epidemiology , Coronavirus Infections/prevention & control , Diagnosis, Differential , Early Detection of Cancer/standards , Female , Humans , Pandemics/prevention & control , Patient Care Management/methods , Patient Care Management/standards , Pneumonia, Viral/epidemiology , Pneumonia, Viral/prevention & control , Poland/epidemiology , SARS-CoV-2 , Secondary Prevention/methods , Uterine Cervical Neoplasms/diagnosis , Uterine Cervical Neoplasms/prevention & control , Uterine Cervical Dysplasia/diagnosis , Uterine Cervical Dysplasia/pathologyABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 caused a pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Unprecedented public health actions were introduced, including social distancing, travel restrictions and quarantine. The Belgian government announced a national emergency plan, thereby postponing all non-urgent medical consultations and operations. This report analyses the impact of these measures on cancer screening, through assessment of the workload of a laboratory for histopathology and cytopathology. METHODS: Data on monthly numbers of histological and cytological samples, immunohistochemistry and molecular tests were extracted from the laboratory information management system. RESULTS: The global histopathological and cytological workload was substantially reduced. The impact on oncology-related surgical procedures was rather limited. The anti-COVID-19 measures significantly diminished all screening-related samples, such as colon biopsies, breast biopsies and cervical cytology, and strongly reduced the number of samples related to "functional" pathology, such as thyroidectomies and gastric biopsies. CONCLUSIONS: Since many health care interventions are reflected in the workload of a pathology laboratory, this study enabled us to identify areas for "deconfinement" health care actions. Our findings indicate that various areas in medicine were affected, but the impact seemed largest for cancer screening. Health care professionals should assure that consultations related to cancer screening are postponed instead of cancelled.