Delay in Diagnosis and Treatment of Primary Bone Tumors during COVID-19 Pandemic in Poland.
Cancers (Basel)
; 14(24)2022 Dec 08.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-2154901
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
The COVID-19 pandemic has affected all of the medical specialties, including orthopedic oncology. Therefore, the aim of the study was to assess how it influenced the diagnostic and therapeutic processes for patients with bone neoplasms.METHODS:
We evaluated 87 patients treated due for bone neoplasms before (Group I, n = 36) and during the COVID-19 pandemic (Group II, n = 51). A delay in diagnosis was defined as the period between the initial clinical symptoms and the date of referral to an oncology center. The patients from Group II were asked to complete a short questionnaire regarding the COVID-19 pandemic.RESULTS:
The median general delay in diagnosis before the pandemic was 7 months, while during the pandemic, it was 10 months (p = 0.728). The biopsy delay was lower in the pre-pandemic group median-6.5 vs. 12 days (p = 0.025). The patients from Group II were diagnosed with larger tumors compared to those in Group I the median values were 75 vs. 56 mm (p = 0.025), respectively. After an X-ray examination, the bone neoplasms were suspected more frequently in the Group II 63% vs. 44% cases (p = 0.024), respectively. In Group II, 20 (60.8%) cases of SARS-CoV-2 infection were reported, however, no respiratory failure cases were noticed.CONCLUSION:
The pandemic affected the diagnostic process of primary bone tumors, resulting in delays in performing biopsies. During the pandemic, the patients reported larger diameters of their bone lesions.
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Type of study:
Experimental Studies
/
Observational study
/
Prognostic study
Language:
English
Year:
2022
Document Type:
Article
Affiliation country:
Cancers14246037
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