Shift of radiotherapy use during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic? An analysis of German inpatient data

Medenwald, Daniel; Brunner, Thomas; Christiansen, Hans; Kisser, Ulrich; Mansoorian, Sina; Vordermark, Dirk; Prokosch, Hans‐Ulrich; Seuchter, Susanne A.; Kapsner, Lorenz A.; Balig, Julien; Bienzeisler, Jonas; Buergy, Daniel; Fischer, Patrick; Fortmann, Jonas; Fuchs, T.; Ganslandt, Thomas; Gietzelt, Matthias; Haverkamp, Christian; Marquardt, Kurt; Kadioglu, Dennis; Lutz, Irina; Mayer, Gerhard; Michel-Backofen, Achim; Renz, Harald; Seidemann, Christian; Stenzhorn, Holger; Stolnicu, Ana; Storf, Holger; Wabo, Gaetan Kamdje; Zohner, Jochen

doi:10.1007/s00066-021-01883-1

Cited by 10 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 16 publications

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“…1 ). These included 59 peer-reviewed studies (Arndt et al 2022 ; Balakirski et al 2022 ; Balk et al 2022 ; Bartella et al 2021 ; Beller et al 2022 ; Bollmann et al 2021 ; Brunner et al 2020 ; Buntzel et al 2020 , 2021 ; Dienemann et al 2021 ; Diers et al 2021 , 2022 ; Donath et al 2021 ; Eckford et al 2021 ; Erdmann et al 2021 , 2022 ; Fauser et al 2022 ; Gremke et al 2022 ; Griewing et al 2022a , b ; Gschnell et al 2021 ; Haier et al 2022a , b , c ; Hajek et al 2021 ; Harke et al 2020 , 2022 ; Heimes et al 2021 ; Holzel et al 2022 ; Hunger et al 2022 ; Jacob et al 2021 , 2022 ; Jördens et al 2021 ; Justenhoven and Rieger 2022 ; Kaltofen et al 2022 ; Kapsner et al 2020 ; Kirchberg et al 2021 ; Kleemann et al 2022 ; Kourtidis et al 2022 ; Kuhlen et al 2020 ; Matuschek et al 2020 ; Medenwald et al 2022 ; Micek et al 2022 ; Michalowsky et al 2021 ; Piontek et al 2021 ; Reichardt et al 2021 ; Riemann et al 2021 ; Rupa et al 2020 ; Schuz et al 2022 ; Stang et al 2020 ; Stos et al 2020 ; Struck et al 2022 ; Teuscher et al 2022 ; Voigtlander et al 2021 ; Vu et al 2022 ; Walter et al 2021 , ...…”

Section: Resultsunclassified

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on oncological care in Germany: rapid review

De Santis,

Helmer,

Barnes

et al. 2023

J Cancer Res Clin Oncol

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Objectives The COVID-19 pandemic affected medical care for chronic diseases. This study aimed to systematically assess the pandemic impact on oncological care in Germany using a rapid review. Methods MEDLINE, Embase, study and preprint registries and study bibliographies were searched for studies published between 2020 and 2 November 2022. Inclusion was based on the PCC framework: population (cancer), concept (oncological care) and context (COVID-19 pandemic in Germany). Studies were selected after title/abstract and full-text screening by two authors. Extracted data were synthesized using descriptive statistics or narratively. Risk of bias was assessed and summarized using descriptive statistics. Results Overall, 77 records (59 peer-reviewed studies and 18 reports) with administrative, cancer registry and survey data were included. Disruptions in oncological care were reported and varied according to pandemic-related factors (e.g., pandemic stage) and other (non-pandemic) factors (e.g., care details). During higher restriction periods fewer consultations and non-urgent surgeries, and delayed diagnosis and screening were consistently reported. Heterogeneous results were reported for treatment types other than surgery (e.g., psychosocial care) and aftercare, while ongoing care remained mostly unchanged. The risk of bias was on average moderate. Conclusions Disruptions in oncological care were reported during the COVID-19 pandemic in Germany. Such disruptions probably depended on factors that were insufficiently controlled for in statistical analyses and evidence quality was on average only moderate. Research focus on patient outcomes (e.g., longer term consequences of disruptions) and pandemic management by healthcare systems is potentially relevant for future pandemics or health emergencies.

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Section: Resultsunclassified

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on oncological care in Germany: rapid review

De Santis,

Helmer,

Barnes

et al. 2023

J Cancer Res Clin Oncol

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“…A study of 9365 hospitalized patients in Germany found that during the COVID-19 lockdown, radiotherapy for head and neck cancer patients became more common. In contrast, usage of this treatment for cervical cancer patients decreased [38]. So, this is so important to investigate the efficacy and side effects of COVID-19 vaccines in patients with malignancies treated with radiotherapy.…”

Section: Radiationmentioning

confidence: 99%

COVID-19 Vaccination and Cancer: The Most Critical Issues

Esmaeili

Ghazanfari²

2022

Immunoregulation

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The lives of people all over the world have been affected by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic since 2019. The virus originated in Wuhan City, China, and many people around the world are still infected with it daily, and many of them die. Following the prevalence of the virus, many countries were quarantined and came under economic, social, and medication pressure. As a result, various countries, including the United States, United Kingdom, China, and Iran, have begun to develop vaccines against SARS-COV-2 and have achieved great success. The Pfizer-BioNTech Comirnaty vaccine was the first vaccine against the virus that obtained World Health Organization (WHO) emergency use listing (EUL) on the last day of 2020 and promised hope for the people of the world. Clinical trials of the vaccines were not performed on all people including those with compromised immune systems such as cancer patients, or children under 12. Therefore, important questions arose: Are these vaccines available to everyone? Or do these vaccines protect everyone? As a result, studies were performed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of the vaccines in specific groups of individuals such as cancer patients. This review article addresses some of the ambiguities surrounding the vaccination of cancer patients and suggestions for improving their condition

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“…These strategies affect all patients but particularly vulnerable patients such as cancer patiens [ 5 – 7 ] and extend to the whole treatment pathway, from diagnosis [ 8 , 9 ], through treatments [ 10 , 11 ], to aftercare [ 12 ]. In health care, various attempts were made to maintain diagnostics and treatment quality as much as possible.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions on the health care utilization of cancer patients

Schneider,

Strauss,

Hübner

et al. 2023

BMC Cancer

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Background COVID-19 has impacted both society and medical care. While Germany entered the first lockdown in spring 2020, the PIKKO study (Patient information, communication and competence empowerment in oncology) was still active. The intervention modules, patient navigator (PN), services of the Saarland Cancer Society (SCS), psycho-social counseling and different courses, and online knowledge database (ODB) continued to be offered, but in an adapted form. It was the aim of this supplementary survey to identify the restrictions and burdens of the pandemic containment strategies on the PIKKO patients and thus on the PIKKO study itself. Furthermore, this work shows how the PIKKO modules were used during the lockdown. Methods All patients in the PIKKO intervention group (IG) were invited to complete a questionnaire, n = 503. Furthermore, utilization of the SCS and log files of the ODB were analyzed. For socio-demographic data and contacts with the PN, data from the regular PIKKO surveys were used. In addition to descriptive statistics, chi²-tests, F-tests and linear regression analyses were performed. Results 356 patients participated in this supplemental survey. 37.6% reported restrictions. “Restrictions on accompanying persons”, “ban on visits to the wards” and “protective mouth-nose-mask” were reported as the greatest burdens. 39.0% expressed fears that the restrictions would have an impact on the course of their disease. Linear regression analyses showed differences in feelings of burden among age groups (more among < 60-year-olds), gender (more among women), children in the household (more with children), and preexisting financial stress (more with financial worries). In April 2020, there was more patient contact with PNs by phone, more SCS psycho-social counseling by phone, adapted SCS course offering, but with significantly fewer participants, and high activity on the ODB. Conclusion Cancer patients in the IG reported restrictions from the pandemic containment strategies and feared an impact on their recovery. However, whether a burden is perceived as heavy depends more on gender, age, or pre-existing burdens than on whether the lockdown affects PIKKO or not. The utilization of counseling, courses or the ODB despite lockdown shows the need for such services, especially in times of crisis. Trial registration This study was retrospectively registered in the German Clinical Trial Register under DRKS00016703 (21 Feb 2019, retrospectively registered). https://www.drks.de/drks_web/navigate.do?navigationId=trial.HTML&TRIAL_ID=DRKS00016703.

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Shift of radiotherapy use during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic? An analysis of German inpatient data

Cited by 10 publications

References 16 publications

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on oncological care in Germany: rapid review

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on oncological care in Germany: rapid review

COVID-19 Vaccination and Cancer: The Most Critical Issues

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions on the health care utilization of cancer patients

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