Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the care of patients with ovarian cancer

ABSTRACT

ObjectivesWe studied the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the care of patients with epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) in the Netherlands.MethodsData of the Netherlands Cancer Registry was used to perform a retrospective cohort study on women of 18+ years diagnosed with EOC in the period 2017–2020 who were treated in the Netherlands. Waiting times and treatment characteristics were compared for the period before the COVID-19 pandemic (2017–2019) with the period during the COVID-19 pandemic (2020).ResultsDuring the pandemic, more women were diagnosed with FIGO stage IV (28.7%) compared to the period before the pandemic (23.7%, p=0.034). Mean time between first hospital consultation and first treatment did not differ significantly between both periods;for stage I-IIA it was 34 days during the pandemic and 36 days before the pandemic, for stage IIB-IIIC it was 35 vs 37 days and for stage IV 37 vs 35 days, respectively. Time between cytoreductive surgery (CRS) and adjuvant chemotherapy was significantly shorter during the pandemic for stage IIB-IIIC (24 days vs 30 days before the pandemic, p<0.001).ConclusionsIn the Netherlands during the COVID-19 pandemic (2020), an increase in FIGO stage IV EOC was observed compared to the period before the pandemic (2017–2019). This might be due to patient-delay and/or delay in referral or to the introduction of HIPEC for stage IIIC. A decrease in the interval between CRS and adjuvant chemotherapy was observed. A decrease in elective procedures and treatments may be an important cause of the reduction in waiting time for chemotherapy.