Department of Maxillofacial Surgery, University of Padua, Padua, Italy -
Section of Otolaryngology, Department of Neuroscience (DNS), University of Padua, Padua, Italy -
Minerva Dent Oral Sci. 2022 Dec;71(6):308-317. doi: 10.23736/S2724-6329.22.04645-9.
The aim of the present study was to investigate how the organisation of healthcare activity during the first wave of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic affected the timing of diagnosis of oral carcinoma in the Functional Head and Neck Department of Padua (Italy). This study gives an effective temporal dimension of the diagnostic delay that occurred during the pandemic, compared with data from the literature.
A retrospective analysis of the diagnostic path of a patient affected by oral cancer during COVID-19 pandemic was performed. The time elapsed from the patient's awareness of the problem to the first curative surgical intervention was considered both during the blockage of elective care activities and in the period immediately following. The results were compared to a group of patients treated in the same period of the year 2019.
The territorial time was 53.9% longer in the post-lockdown period than in the lockdown period (39.6 days) while the hospital time was 56.6% shorter than in the post-lockdown period (56 days).
The response time of territorial medicine has been longer during the pandemic peak. The unintentional creation of exclusive pathways for oncological patients speeded up the diagnostic process. The organization and accessibility of operating theatres can become particularly problematic during the acute phases of a pandemic.
本研究旨在调查 2019 年冠状病毒病（COVID-19）大流行期间医疗活动的组织方式如何影响帕多瓦（意大利）功能头颈部科口腔癌的诊断时间。与文献数据相比，本研究为大流行期间发生的诊断延迟提供了有效的时间维度。
对 COVID-19 大流行期间口腔癌患者的诊断路径进行回顾性分析。将从患者意识到问题到首次根治性手术干预的时间考虑在内，既包括在选择性医疗活动阻断期间，也包括在随后的时期。将结果与同年同期治疗的一组患者进行比较。
封锁后时期的地域时间比封锁期间长 53.9%（39.6 天），而医院时间比封锁后时期短 56.6%（56 天）。
大流行高峰期，区域医疗的响应时间延长。为肿瘤患者开辟专用通道的无意之举加快了诊断过程。手术室的组织和可及性在大流行的急性阶段可能会成为特别棘手的问题。
