Changes in clinical presentation, management, and survival outcomes in patients affected by colorectal cancer following COVID-19 pandemic

• Published in: The oncologist (Dayton, Ohio) Ohio), 2024-11
• Main Authors: Parisi, Alessandro, Giampieri, Riccardo, Villani, Silvia, Magnarini, Alice, Gelsomino, Fabio, Traisci, Donatella, Barbin, Francesca, Salvatore, Lisa, Zichi, Clizia, Di Pietro, Francesca Romana, Zoratto, Federica, Lanese, Andrea, Petrillo, Angelica, Zurlo, Ina Valeria, Spallanzani, Andrea, D'Ostilio, Nicola, Ghidini, Michele, Bensi, Maria, Schietroma, Francesco, Rognone, Chiara, Panepinto, Olimpia, Paparo, Jessica, Gamba, Teresa, Bisonni, Renato, Di Lorenzo, Sara, Daniele, Bruno, Mentrasti, Giulia, Berardi, Rossana
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 1083-7159; 1549-490X; 1549-490X
• DOI: 10.1093/oncolo/oyae310

As an extended analysis of the COVID-DELAY study, we aimed to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on diagnosis, staging, and survival outcomes among patients with colorectal cancer (CRC) diagnosis performed from 2019 to 2022. All consecutive newly diagnosed CRC patients referred to 11 Italian Oncology Departments between March and December 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2022 were enrolled. Access rate, demographics, diagnostic-therapeutic temporal intervals, and first-line progression-free survival (PFS) and OS among metastatic patients were assessed. Compared to 2019 (n = 690), an initial global reduction in new CRC cases in 2020 (n = 564, -18.3%) was observed, followed by a progressive increase in new CRC diagnoses in 2021 (n = 748, + 8.4%) and 2022 (n = 756, + 9.6%); a higher rate of TNM stage IV tumors was diagnosed in 2020 (35.4%) and 2021 (31.0%) compared to 2019 (29.6%), with normalization in 2022 (26.4%) (P