Sheffield Ocular Oncology Service, Royal Hallamshire Hospital, Sheffield, UK.
Scottish Ocular Oncology Service, Gartnavel General Hospital, Glasgow, UK.
Br J Cancer. 2021 Apr;124(8):1357-1360. doi: 10.1038/s41416-021-01274-4. Epub 2021 Feb 9.
The COVID-19 pandemic has had an unprecedented impact on the National Health Service in United Kingdom. The UK Ocular Oncology Services evaluated the impact on the adult eye cancer care in the UK. All four adult Ocular Oncology centres participated in a multicentre retrospective review comparing uveal melanoma referral patterns and treatments in a 4-month period during the national lockdown and first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 with corresponding periods in previous 2 years. During the national lockdown, referral numbers and confirmed uveal melanoma cases reduced considerably, equalling to ~120 fewer diagnosed uveal melanoma cases compared to previous 2 years. Contrary to the recent trend, increased caseloads of enucleation and stereotactic radiosurgery (p > 0.05), in comparison to fewer proton beam therapy (p < 0.05), were performed. In the 4-month period following lockdown, there was a surge in clinical activities with more advanced diseases (p < 0.05) presenting to the services. As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to mount pressure and reveal its hidden impact on the eye cancer care, it is imperative for the Ocular Oncology Services to plan recovery strategies and innovative ways of working.
COVID-19 大流行对英国国民保健制度产生了前所未有的影响。英国眼部肿瘤服务评估了 COVID-19 大流行期间对英国成人眼癌护理的影响。在 2020 年全国封锁和 COVID-19 大流行第一波期间的 4 个月内，所有四个成人眼部肿瘤中心参与了一项多中心回顾性研究，比较了眼黑色素瘤的转诊模式和治疗方法，并与前 2 年的相应时期进行了比较。在全国封锁期间，转诊数量和确诊的眼黑色素瘤病例显著减少，与前 2 年相比，诊断出的眼黑色素瘤病例减少了约 120 例。与最近的趋势相反，与质子束治疗（p<0.05）相比，眼球摘除术和立体定向放射外科（p>0.05）的病例增加。在封锁后的 4 个月内，服务部门接收了更多患有晚期疾病的患者（p<0.05），临床活动量激增。随着 COVID-19 大流行继续施加压力并揭示其对眼癌护理的隐藏影响，眼部肿瘤服务部门必须制定恢复策略和创新的工作方式。
