The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on time to treatment in head and neck cancer management: a systematic review
Background and purpose: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused a need for reorganization in the healthcare systems. First, we aimed to determine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on time to treatment in head and neck cancer (HNC) patients. Second, we aimed to determine the impact of COVID-19 o...
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Medical Journals Sweden
2025-01-01
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| Series: | Acta Oncologica |
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| Online Access: | https://medicaljournalssweden.se/actaoncologica/article/view/41366 |
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| author | Malte Grumstrup Simonsen Amanda-Louise Fenger Carlander Kathrine Kronberg Jakobsen Christian Grønhøj Christian von Buchwald |
| author_facet | Malte Grumstrup Simonsen Amanda-Louise Fenger Carlander Kathrine Kronberg Jakobsen Christian Grønhøj Christian von Buchwald |
| author_sort | Malte Grumstrup Simonsen |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Background and purpose: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused a need for reorganization in the healthcare systems. First, we aimed to determine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on time to treatment in head and neck cancer (HNC) patients. Second, we aimed to determine the impact of COVID-19 on tumor stage and changes in treatment regimens used.
Material and methods: A systematic search in PubMed and Embase was conducted according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. Inclusion criteria were: (1) Studies including patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinomas; (2) Studies containing a comparison of time to treatment; (3) Studies containing a well-defined time interval with restrictions on health care due to COVID-19 and a well-defined time interval without restrictions.
Results: A total of 19 studies were included comprising 24,898 patients treated for HNC cancer. Six studies (10.1% of the patients) reported an increase in waiting time within at least one interval, while seven studies reported a decrease (83.2% of the patients), and six studies found no significant effect. No changes in treatment modalities were observed. Seven of 15 studies (12.7% of the patients) observed an increase in either overall stage, size, or tumor node and metastasis classification during the COVID-19 pandemic. Among these, two studies reported increased waiting times as well.
Interpretation: The impact of the COIVD-19 pandemic on time to treatment was heterogenous and subject to considerable intercountry and interregional variations. A tendency toward a higher T-classification was observed. In conclusion, otorhinolaryngology departments demonstrated resilience, as the pandemic led to only slight alterations in time to treatment.
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| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-3c8ff0b6550b4d11a77c65775eb90112 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1651-226X |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | Medical Journals Sweden |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Acta Oncologica |
| spelling | doaj-art-3c8ff0b6550b4d11a77c65775eb901122025-01-29T07:55:53ZengMedical Journals SwedenActa Oncologica1651-226X2025-01-016410.2340/1651-226X.2025.41366The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on time to treatment in head and neck cancer management: a systematic reviewMalte Grumstrup Simonsen0https://orcid.org/0009-0007-1395-9885Amanda-Louise Fenger Carlander1https://orcid.org/0009-0008-3840-8083Kathrine Kronberg Jakobsen2https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0336-5411Christian Grønhøj3https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4524-8291Christian von Buchwald4https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6753-8129Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery and Audiology, Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen University Hospital, DenmarkDepartment of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery and Audiology, Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen University Hospital, DenmarkDepartment of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery and Audiology, Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen University Hospital, DenmarkDepartment of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery and Audiology, Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen University Hospital, Denmark; Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Copenhagen, DenmarkDepartment of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery and Audiology, Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen University Hospital, Denmark; Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Copenhagen, DenmarkBackground and purpose: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused a need for reorganization in the healthcare systems. First, we aimed to determine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on time to treatment in head and neck cancer (HNC) patients. Second, we aimed to determine the impact of COVID-19 on tumor stage and changes in treatment regimens used. Material and methods: A systematic search in PubMed and Embase was conducted according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. Inclusion criteria were: (1) Studies including patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinomas; (2) Studies containing a comparison of time to treatment; (3) Studies containing a well-defined time interval with restrictions on health care due to COVID-19 and a well-defined time interval without restrictions. Results: A total of 19 studies were included comprising 24,898 patients treated for HNC cancer. Six studies (10.1% of the patients) reported an increase in waiting time within at least one interval, while seven studies reported a decrease (83.2% of the patients), and six studies found no significant effect. No changes in treatment modalities were observed. Seven of 15 studies (12.7% of the patients) observed an increase in either overall stage, size, or tumor node and metastasis classification during the COVID-19 pandemic. Among these, two studies reported increased waiting times as well. Interpretation: The impact of the COIVD-19 pandemic on time to treatment was heterogenous and subject to considerable intercountry and interregional variations. A tendency toward a higher T-classification was observed. In conclusion, otorhinolaryngology departments demonstrated resilience, as the pandemic led to only slight alterations in time to treatment. https://medicaljournalssweden.se/actaoncologica/article/view/41366Time to treatment initiationtumor stagedelay waiting time |
| spellingShingle | Malte Grumstrup Simonsen Amanda-Louise Fenger Carlander Kathrine Kronberg Jakobsen Christian Grønhøj Christian von Buchwald The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on time to treatment in head and neck cancer management: a systematic review Acta Oncologica Time to treatment initiation tumor stage delay waiting time |
| title | The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on time to treatment in head and neck cancer management: a systematic review |
| title_full | The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on time to treatment in head and neck cancer management: a systematic review |
| title_fullStr | The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on time to treatment in head and neck cancer management: a systematic review |
| title_full_unstemmed | The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on time to treatment in head and neck cancer management: a systematic review |
| title_short | The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on time to treatment in head and neck cancer management: a systematic review |
| title_sort | impact of the covid 19 pandemic on time to treatment in head and neck cancer management a systematic review |
| topic | Time to treatment initiation tumor stage delay waiting time |
| url | https://medicaljournalssweden.se/actaoncologica/article/view/41366 |
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