Impact of the COVID‐19 pandemic on public University laboratories of oral and maxillofacial pathology: A Brazilian multicenter study

Abstract

Objective To evaluate the impact of the COVID‐19 pandemic on the number of diagnoses of oral and maxillofacial lesions in public laboratories after one year of COVID‐19 outbreak in Brazil. Material and Methods This is a cross‐sectional study. Biopsies submitted to histopathologic examination from March 2019 to February 2020 (pre‐pandemic period) and from April 2020 to March 2021 (pandemic period) in nine Brazilian public oral pathology laboratories were retrieved and the number of diagnoses, types of lesion, and percentage changes during both periods were analyzed. Results There were 7389 diagnoses in the pre‐pandemic period and 2728 in the pandemic era, indicating a reduction of 63.08%. The reduction was 64.23% for benign lesions and 49.48% for malignant lesions, with a 50.64% reduction in squamous cell carcinoma. The largest decreases were observed in April 2020 and January 2021. Conclusion An important reduction in the diagnoses of benign and malignant lesions was noted in the Brazilian public oral pathology laboratories during the first year of the COVID‐19 pandemic.

Contribution of public oral pathology services to the diagnosis of oral and oropharyngeal cancer in Brazil

“…OMPLs in Brazil mostly belong to public and private universities. 6,9,[11][12][13]20 Corroborating our findings, nationwide data from the INCA (the main Brazilian database) show that the profile of Brazilian patients with LSCC and OSCC remains mostly Caucasian men with a mean age over 60. Conversely, most OPSCC patients are non-Caucasian males, with an average age of 58.7 years at the time of diagnosis.…”

“…37 Corroborating this data, a recent large multicenter study revealed a near 50% reduction in the number of oral cancer diagnoses by Brazilian university OMPLs during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. 12 Similarly, another study reported that the number of oral cancer diagnoses in a Brazilian reference center in oral pathology decreased by 32.2%, compared to the pre-pandemic period. 13 Worldwide, studies have revealed a notable decrease in cancer diagnosis when compared to the period before the COVID-19 pandemic.…”

“…8 In Brazil, most public universities maintain OMPLs that perform histopathological and cytological analyses on surgical specimens sent by the National Public Health System (SUS-its acronym in Portuguese) and from private clinics. [9][10][11][12][13] The Brazilian National Cancer Institute (INCA, its acronym in Portuguese) estimates that approximately 15,190 new cases of lip, oral cavity, and oropharyngeal SCC cases are expected by the end of 2022. 14 According to a previous report, most of these cases will be diagnosed by the SUS.…”

Blockchain: A safe digital technology to share cancer diagnostic results in pandemic times—Challenges and legacy for the future

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Dear editor, The COVID-19 pandemic directly impacted oral pathology services worldwide, including delays in the diagnosis of several alterations, in special, malignant neoplasms. 1,2 Consequently, late diagnosis of these diseases may provoke a worsening of patients' clinical condition, including an increase in the potential risk of metastasis, a larger tumour size (T), and a lower survival rate. 3,4 In Brazil, during the first wave of COVID-19, a reduction of 63.8% was observed in the diagnosis of potentially malignant disorders and tumours when compared to the previous period, with malignant lesions and oral cancer showing a decrease of 49.48% and 50.64%, respectively.

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The impact of COVID‐19 on oral squamous cell carcinoma's diagnostic stage—A retrospective study

“…Although patients undergoing active oncological therapy were hardly affected, several studies warned about the consequences of these canceled appointments (Alves et al, 2021). The comparison between the pre-COVID-19 period and the COVID-19 period demonstrate a decrease in biopsies for further histological examinations, illustrating the manner in which this postponement ultimately led to decreased cancer diagnoses (Arduino et al, 2021;Caldeira et al, 2022;Gomes et al, 2022). This development raises the cause for serious concern, given that nonsymptom-driven malignancy detections are associated with a lower stage at diagnosis rather than lesions detected during a symptom-directed examination (Holmes et al, 2003).…”