Seretis Konstantinos, Bounas Nikolaos, Gaitanis Georgios, Bassukas Ioannis
Department of Plastic Surgery, School of Health Sciences, University of Ioannina, 45100 Ioannina, Greece.
Department of Skin and Venereal Diseases, Faculty of Medicine, School of Health Sciences, University of Ioannina, 45100 Ioannina, Greece.
Cancers (Basel). 2022 Dec 10;14(24):6085. doi: 10.3390/cancers14246085.
The COVID-19 pandemic has been the epicenter of healthcare attention globally for the past two years, and large-scale adaptations in healthcare provision have been required. This study aimed to investigate the impact of the pandemic and the resulting lockdowns on cutaneous melanoma diagnosis and tumor burdens in Europe. A relevant literature search in electronic databases was conducted from inception to September 2022. The inclusion criteria were: controlled studies published in a peer-reviewed journal evaluating cutaneous melanoma in Europe and reporting data on melanoma characteristics from diagnoses. The quality of studies was evaluated using the Cochrane ROBINS-I tool for assessing bias in non-randomized studies. Meta-analysis was conducted utilizing a random effects model to synthesize the data. A total of 25 studies involving 32,231 patients were included in the data analysis models. Statistically significant increases in mean Breslow thickness (0.29 mm (0.03-0.55 mm)), ulceration rates (OR = 1.66 (1.29-2.13)), and resultant tumor staging were observed in the PostCovid group, with subgroup analysis revealing that lockdown-derived data were responsible for this trend. This meta-analysis reported on the impact of COVID-19 restrictions on melanoma diagnosis in Europe, emphasizing the higher tumor burden and disease progression state provoked by healthcare adaptations in the pandemic period.
在过去两年里,新冠疫情一直是全球医疗关注的焦点,医疗服务需要进行大规模调整。本研究旨在调查疫情及随之而来的封锁措施对欧洲皮肤黑色素瘤诊断和肿瘤负荷的影响。从数据库建立至2022年9月进行了相关文献检索。纳入标准为:在同行评审期刊上发表的对照研究,评估欧洲的皮肤黑色素瘤,并报告诊断时黑色素瘤特征的数据。使用Cochrane ROBINS-I工具评估非随机研究中的偏倚,以此评价研究质量。采用随机效应模型进行荟萃分析以综合数据。数据分析模型共纳入25项研究,涉及32231名患者。在新冠疫情后组中,观察到平均Breslow厚度(0.29 mm(0.03 - 0.55 mm))、溃疡率(OR = 1.66(1.29 - 2.13))以及最终肿瘤分期在统计学上显著增加,亚组分析显示封锁期间的数据导致了这一趋势。该荟萃分析报告了新冠疫情限制措施对欧洲黑色素瘤诊断的影响,强调了疫情期间医疗调整引发的更高肿瘤负荷和疾病进展状态。