Yoon Jin Young, Lee Moon Hyung, Kwak Min Seob, Cha Jae Myung
Department of Gastroenterology, Kyung Hee University Hospital at Gangdong, College of Medicine, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, Korea.
Intest Res. 2025 Jan;23(1):85-95. doi: 10.5217/ir.2024.00066. Epub 2024 Nov 29.
BACKGROUND/AIMS: Despite of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, there is little data regarding its impact on colorectal cancer (CRC)-related clinical practice. This study aimed to assess the changes in its impact during the COVID-19 pandemic.
This was a retrospective national population-based study using the Health Insurance Review and Assessment database from January 2019 to December 2021. The number of patients in 2020 and 2021 was compared with those in 2019 for the diagnostic and therapeutic colonoscopy, CRC-related operation, and any treatment for CRC.
The annual number of patients undergoing diagnostic colonoscopies decreased by 6.9% in 2020 but increased 8.1% in 2021, compared to those in 2019; number of patients undergoing therapeutic colonoscopies increased by 6.0% and 37.7% in 2020 and 2021, respectively; number of patients operated for CRC decreased by 4.2% in 2020 and increased by 2.3% in 2021. The number of patients treated for CRC decreased by 2.8% in 2020 and increased by 4.4% in 2021. Diagnostic and therapeutic colonoscopies and any CRC-related treatment decreased by 43.8%, 37.5%, and 11.3% in March 2020, during the first surge of COVID-19, but increased by 26.0%, 58.1%, and 9.5% in June 2021, respectively. CRC-related operations decreased by 24.1% in April 2020 and increased by 12.6% in August 2021.
Negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on clinical practices related to CRC completely recovered within second year. It could be considered for the development of an optimal strategy on CRC management in response to the pandemic-driven crisis.
背景/目的：尽管2019年冠状病毒病（COVID-19）大流行，但关于其对结直肠癌（CRC）相关临床实践影响的数据很少。本研究旨在评估COVID-19大流行期间其影响的变化。
这是一项基于全国人群的回顾性研究，使用了2019年1月至2021年12月的健康保险审查和评估数据库。将2020年和2021年的患者数量与2019年的患者数量进行比较，以了解诊断性和治疗性结肠镜检查、CRC相关手术以及任何CRC治疗情况。
与2019年相比，2020年接受诊断性结肠镜检查的患者年数量减少了6.9%，但2021年增加了8.1%；2020年和2021年接受治疗性结肠镜检查的患者数量分别增加了6.0%和37.7%；接受CRC手术的患者数量在2020年减少了4.2%，在2021年增加了2.3%。接受CRC治疗的患者数量在2020年减少了2.8%，在2021年增加了4.4%。在2020年3月COVID-19首次激增期间，诊断性和治疗性结肠镜检查以及任何CRC相关治疗分别减少了43.8%、37.5%和11.3%，但在2021年6月分别增加了26.0%、58.1%和9.5%。CRC相关手术在2020年4月减少了24.1%，在2021年8月增加了12.6%。
COVID-19大流行对CRC相关临床实践的负面影响在第二年完全恢复。可以考虑制定应对大流行引发危机的CRC管理最佳策略。
