Ahmed Dr Sibtain, Abbas Abid Dr Muhammad, Niaz Ali Ms Noureen, Ahmed Mr Junaid, Siddiqui Dr Imran
Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Aga Khan University. Stadium Road, Karachi, 74800, Pakistan.
Section of Clinical Chemistry, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Aga Khan University, Stadium Road, P.O. Box 3500, Karachi, 74800, Pakistan.
Ann Med Surg (Lond). 2021 Nov;71:102934. doi: 10.1016/j.amsu.2021.102934. Epub 2021 Oct 13.
The purpose of this study is to assess how the COVID-19 pandemic affected cancer screening at a large tertiary care setting in the city of Karachi, the third largest city in the world, and to identify if there has been any decrease in cancer screening during the ongoing pandemic.
A retrospective observational study was conducted at the clinical chemistry laboratory at the Department of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, Aga Khan University Hospital (AKUH), Karachi Pakistan. Data for test volumes was extracted from the Integrated Laboratory Management System (ILMS) for the following tumor markers: CA19 Carbohydrate Antigen 19-9 (CA 19-9), Calcitonin, Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA), from 2017 to 2020. Data from January 1st, 2017 till December 31st, 2019 was recorded and compared with the test volume data from January 1st, 2020 till December 31st, 2020. Number of tests performed in the prior 3 years were compared with tests performed in 2020, specifically looking at changes during the lockdown period in 2020 (1st March - 9 th April) and compared with the same period in preceding years.
During the four-year period, a total of 6,530 tests were performed for CA19-9, 893 for Calcitonin, and 54,769 for PSA. Year 2019 recorded the highest volume for all 3 tests with test volumes increasing continuously from 2017 to 2019. Number of tests performed decreased throughout the year 2020 for Calcitonin and PSA, whereas volume of tests for CA19-9 only reduced during the lockdown period while increased in the non-lockdown period as compared to previous years. Highest percent decline during the 2020 lockdown period was seen for Calcitonin (-62.5%), followed by PSA (-51.8%) and CA19-9 (-19%).
In conclusion, the amount of CA19-9, Calcitonin, and PSA tests performed in Karachi, Pakistan has drastically reduced due to the lockdown that was mandated due to the COVID-19 outbreak. It is crucial that despite an imposed lockdown, regular cancer screening must continue.
本研究旨在评估新冠疫情对世界第三大城市卡拉奇一家大型三级医疗机构癌症筛查的影响，并确定在当前疫情期间癌症筛查是否有所减少。
在巴基斯坦卡拉奇阿迦汗大学医院病理与检验医学系临床化学实验室进行了一项回顾性观察研究。从综合实验室管理系统（ILMS）中提取了2017年至2020年以下肿瘤标志物的检测量数据：糖类抗原19-9（CA19-9）、降钙素、前列腺特异性抗原（PSA）。记录了2017年1月1日至2019年12月31日的数据，并与2020年1月1日至2020年12月31日的检测量数据进行比较。将前三年进行的检测次数与2020年进行的检测次数进行比较，特别关注2020年封锁期间（3月1日至4月9日）的变化，并与前几年同期进行比较。
在四年期间，共进行了6530次CA19-9检测、893次降钙素检测和54769次PSA检测。2019年这三项检测的检测量均最高，从2017年到2019年检测量持续增加。2020年全年降钙素和PSA的检测次数减少，而CA19-9的检测量仅在封锁期间减少，与前几年相比，在非封锁期间增加。2020年封锁期间降幅最大的是降钙素（-62.5%），其次是PSA（-51.8%）和CA19-9（-19%）。
总之，由于新冠疫情爆发实施的封锁，巴基斯坦卡拉奇进行的CA19-9、降钙素和PSA检测量大幅减少。至关重要的是，尽管实施了封锁，常规癌症筛查仍必须继续。
