ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: Laryngeal and hypopharyngeal cancers treated with total laryngectomy (TL) may provide a unique avenue for COVID-19 to infect cancer patients. The objective of this investigation was to identify incidence of COVID-19 infection and potential complications in TL patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Data was extracted from TriNetX COVID-19 research network from from 2019 to 2021 and ICD-10 codes were utilized to query for laryngeal or hypopharyngeal cancer, and outcomes of interest. Cohorts were propensity score-matched based on demographics and co-morbidities. RESULTS: A query of active patients in TriNetX from January 1, 2019 to December 31, 2021 identified 36,414 patients with laryngeal or hypopharyngeal cancer out of the 50,474,648 active patients in the database. The overall COVID-19 incidence in the non-laryngeal or hypopharyngeal cancer population was 10.8% compared to 18.8% (p < 0.001) in the laryngeal and hypopharyngeal cancer group. Those who underwent TL had a statistically significant increased incidence of acquiring COVID-19 (24.0%) when compared to those without TL (17.7%) (p < 0.001). TL patients with COVID-19 had a higher risk of developing pneumonia RR (risk ratio) 1.80 (1.43, 2.26), death 1.74 (1.41, 2.14), ARDS 2.42 (1.16, 5.05), sepsis 1.77 (1.37, 2.29), shock 2.81 (1.88, 4.18), respiratory failure 2.34 (1.90, 2.88), and malnutrition 2.46 (2.01, 3.01) when matched with those COVID-19 positive cancer patients without TL. CONCLUSIONS: Laryngeal and hypopharyngeal cancer patients had a higher rate of acquiring COVID-19 than patients without these cancers. TL patients have a higher rate of COVID-19 compared to those without TL and may be at a higher risk for sequalae of COVID-19.
Subject(s)
COVID-19 , Hypopharyngeal Neoplasms , Laryngeal Neoplasms , Humans , Laryngectomy/adverse effects , Laryngeal Neoplasms/epidemiology , Laryngeal Neoplasms/surgery , Hypopharyngeal Neoplasms/epidemiology , Hypopharyngeal Neoplasms/surgery , Incidence , Retrospective Studies , COVID-19/epidemiologyABSTRACT
PURPOSE: This study aimed to evaluate whether there was a significant change in the laryngeal cancer stage before and after the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: This retrospective cohort study was conducted to evaluate the data of patients who operated due to laryngeal cancer in a tertiary referral hospital's ear, nose, and throat (ENT) department between June 2018 and 2021. The patients were included at the same period of the years to rule out any seasonal changes. The basic characteristic, tumor localization, and TNM stage of the patients were compared. RESULTS: 97 patients were operated due to laryngeal cancer during the time period reviewed. 57 (58.8%) patients were operated before and 40 (41.2%) after the COVID-19 pandemic. When comparing the patients before and after the COVID-19 pandemic period, the mean age significantly differed between the study groups that older age was observed in patients who admitted before the COVID-19 pandemic (62.8 ± 6.5 vs. 57.3 ± 6.8, p < 0.001). Regarding the TNM classification, the patients in the after COVID-19 pandemic group had higher rates of T4 stage laryngeal cancer compared to before COVID-19 pandemic group (12 (30%) vs. 4 (7%), p: 0.003). CONCLUSION: Younger patients have operated after the COVID-19 pandemic, and the patients were presented with larger tumor sizes. The pandemic may increase the time between diagnosis and surgery in laryngeal cancer patients.
Subject(s)
COVID-19 , Laryngeal Neoplasms , COVID-19/epidemiology , Humans , Laryngeal Neoplasms/epidemiology , Laryngeal Neoplasms/surgery , Pandemics , Retrospective Studies , SARS-CoV-2 , Tertiary Care CentersABSTRACT
PURPOSE: Changes in the entire health care system during COVID-19 epidemic have affected the management of patients with head and neck cancer and posed several clinical challenges for ENT surgeons. Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate the effect of COVID-19 on the stage and the type of surgical treatments used in laryngeal cancer (including total laryngectomy, supracricoid partial laryngectomy (SCPL) and transoral laser microsurgery (TLM)) and also to compare the results of April 2020 to April 2021 with the previous year. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This cross-sectional study was performed on all patients with a diagnosis of laryngeal cancer who underwent surgery in the tertiary care center from April 2020 to April 2021 and the year before the pandemic in the same time. Demographic, cancer stage, and treatment data of all patients were recorded and analysis in two groups. RESULTS: Patients referred at the time of the virus outbreak; 111 were male and 5 were female, and in the group of patients referred before COVID-19, 90 were male and 12 were female. The type of surgical treatment of laryngeal cancer, mean time elapsed from sampling to surgery, stage of disease and mean tumor volume was statistically significant differences in patients before and during the outbreak. CONCLUSION: Patients who referred for diagnosis and treatment at the time of COVID-19 outbreak had more advanced stages of the disease and also the tumor volume was higher in them than patients who had referred before the outbreak. It is necessary to provide new solutions, education and treatment management for patients with laryngeal cancer in such pandemics.