The impact of COVID-19 pandemic on head and neck cancer diagnosis and treatment

• Published in: Journal of dental sciences 2024-07, Vol.19 (3), p.1620-1627
• Main Authors: Nishimura, Nao Yamamoto, Aoki, Kengo, Koyama, Shihoko, Nishio, Minako, Otsuka, Tomoyuki, Miyazaki, Masayoshi, Yoshii, Tadashi, Otozai, Shinji, Miyabe, Junji, Korematsu, Mizuki, Fujii, Takashi, Ishibashi, Miki
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: COVID-19; Diagnosis; Head and neck cancer; Original; Treatment
• ISSN: 1991-7902; 2213-8862
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jds.2023.12.005

Following the COVID-19 pandemic, there were reports of diagnostic delays and a surge in the prevalence of advanced head and neck cancer (HNC). We conducted a retrospective study on the impact of COVID-19 on the number of newly diagnosed HNC among patients who underwent screening at our center to understand the temporal changes. We investigated the Union for International Cancer Control guidelines-TNM classification, presence of subjective symptoms at the time of consultation, and initial treatment from the medical records of first-time patients with HNC who visited our head and neck surgery department during 2019–2021 and compared them with those before (2019) and after (2020–2021) the pandemic. A total of 1245 patients were included in the study. The number of patients were 437, 417, and 391 in 2019, 2020, and 2021, respectively, indicating a downward trend following the pandemic. When the incidence of early (stage 0–II) and advanced (stage III–IV) HNC cancers was compared, the proportion of patients with early-stage cancer declined. Among them, significant primary tumor progression was observed in T classification. The number of patients with no subjective symptoms at initial diagnosis was decreasing significantly. A decrease in the proportion of HNC patients with early-stage cancer and primary tumor progression was observed after the pandemic in 2020 and 2021. The number of early-stage malignancies may have dropped due to patients’ unwillingness to visit a doctor.