Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on cytopathology services in the West of Ireland

O'Connor, Eoghan; O'Connor, Diarmuid; Murray, David R.; Quinn, Anne Marie

doi:10.1136/jclinpath-2021-207850

Cited by 3 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 4 publications

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“…Similar results in terms of reduction of workload but with a reported rate of malignancy substantially unchanged were present in a large survey from more than 20 countries of the Asia‐Pacific region 14 . Smaller series from single countries or single institutions reported comparable experiences in terms of workload reduction and increase in malignancy rate 15–17 …”

Section: Figuresupporting

confidence: 66%

“…14 Smaller series from single countries or single institutions reported comparable experiences in terms of workload reduction and increase in malignancy rate. [15][16][17] However, all of these studies focus on the impact of the pandemic on the performance of cytopathology, with often no mention of the practical changes in the diagnostic workflow. Besides the impact of the pandemic on cytopathology laboratory staff and normal workflow, other articles dealt with safety measures deployed to reduce the contact of health personnel with patients and the implementation of individual protection instruments when handling cytological material.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Digital diagnostic cytopathology: Has the pandemic brought us closer?

Girolami

Eccher²

2023

Cytopathology

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The COVID‐19 pandemic has acted as a powerful change driver in the field of pathology and has had relevant consequences on the practice of cytopathology, in terms of changes in workload, rates of malignancy, and the performance of cytology. At the same time, regulatory authorities have relaxed their requirements for the deployment of digital pathology for remote diagnostic reporting. However, most of these improvements have concerned digital histopathology. Data from a literature search show that experiences in digital cytopathology during the pandemic have concerned mainly educational and academic activities. From a broader point of view, when searching for all published literature on digital pathology, only a minority of papers deal with cytopathology, but a noticeable increase in publications has been seen in the last 10 years, with an upward trend toward a maximum of papers in 2021. Indeed, the pandemic has led to greater awareness of the possibility of digital for cytopathology as well.

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Section: Figuresupporting

confidence: 66%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Digital diagnostic cytopathology: Has the pandemic brought us closer?

Girolami

Eccher²

2023

Cytopathology

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“… 9 , 10 This reduction was particularly notable with routine Papanicolaou (Pap) test (henceforth GYN) specimens and minimally invasive procedures such as fine‐needle aspiration (FNA) and endobronchial ultrasound‐guided transbronchial needle aspiration (EBUS‐TBNA), which were limited to urgent referrals. 9 , 10 , 11 Not surprisingly, the practice of triaging services to patients with a higher preprocedure risk of malignancy resulted in an increase in the overall rate of malignancy in cytology samples. 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 The cumulative effect appears to be complex and multifactorial, but concern remains over lingering delays in the diagnosis and treatment of life‐threatening malignancies in the general population.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“… 9 , 10 , 11 Not surprisingly, the practice of triaging services to patients with a higher preprocedure risk of malignancy resulted in an increase in the overall rate of malignancy in cytology samples. 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 The cumulative effect appears to be complex and multifactorial, but concern remains over lingering delays in the diagnosis and treatment of life‐threatening malignancies in the general population. 13 , 14 In this study, we aimed to evaluate the impact of the pandemic on preventive and diagnostic services through a time series review of cytology samples at a single institution.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Early in the pandemic, cytology laboratories observed a significant reduction in sample volumes across specimen types attributed to suspension of screening programs, reluctance for in‐person health care visits, and concern over the biosafety of procedures for both patients and health care/laboratory workers 9,10 . This reduction was particularly notable with routine Papanicolaou (Pap) test (henceforth GYN) specimens and minimally invasive procedures such as fine‐needle aspiration (FNA) and endobronchial ultrasound‐guided transbronchial needle aspiration (EBUS‐TBNA), which were limited to urgent referrals 9–11 . Not surprisingly, the practice of triaging services to patients with a higher preprocedure risk of malignancy resulted in an increase in the overall rate of malignancy in cytology samples 9–12 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Quantifying the hidden impact of COVID‐19 pandemic: The cytology perspective

Yousefi

Cibas

Mito

2022

Cancer Cytopathology

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Background The burden of the COVID‐19 pandemic is often enumerated in lives lost, but the strain on health care resources and mobility limitations contributed to the burden of non–COVID related disease. In this study, we evaluated the impact of the pandemic through a time series review of cytology samples. Methods Pathology reports for all cytology specimens received from January 2019 through April 2021 at our institution were reviewed. Time series analysis was performed using moving averages, time trend analysis, cross‐correlation, and tests of homogeneity. Results During the first peak of the pandemic (March–June 2020), breakpoint analysis showed a downward shift in the number of gynecologic (−89.4%) and non‐gynecologic (−70.4%) cytology specimens within a week of declaration of an emergency. Cross‐correlation analysis showed a relationship between sample numbers and COVID‐19 cases during the initial phase of the pandemic (April–June 2020). During the second surge (October 2020–April 2021), despite the higher incidence of COVID‐19, there was a smaller impact on cytology samples (−20.1% and − 24.8% for gynecologic and non‐gynecologic samples, respectively). During the first 3 months of the pandemic, 154 fewer malignant cases were identified compared with the prior year. Although specimen numbers slowly returned to baseline following the first wave of the pandemic, the earlier decline in malignant diagnoses was not offset during the study period. Conclusions The deleterious effects of COVID‐19 extend beyond direct mortality attributed to the disease. The significant decrease in diagnostic cytology specimens during this period has profound implications including delayed care and missed disease.

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