Romaszko-Wojtowicz Anna, Doboszyńska Anna, Piechnik Anna, Kuziemski Krzysztof, Szplit Dariusz, Cofta Szczepan, Glińska-Lewczuk Katarzyna
Department of Pulmonology, School of Public Health, Collegium Medicum, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Olsztyn, Poland.
Department of Lung Diseases, Neoplasms and Tuberculosis Faculty of Medicine, Collegium Medicum in Bydgoszcz, Nicolaus Copernicus University, Bydgoszcz, Poland.
PLoS One. 2024 Dec 27;19(12):e0316261. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0316261. eCollection 2024.
Lung cancer, one of the leading causes of death due to neoplasms, requires prompt diagnosis and immediate treatment. The COVID-19 pandemic affected healthcare systems worldwide, having adverse effects on all aspects, particularly on the fate of patients with suspected neoplastic diseases. Limited access to healthcare, disruptions in regular operations (reassigning roles to some wards), postponed hospital admissions, prolonged diagnostic processes, and other factors have collectively led to the phenomenon known as COVID-19 debt.
A retrospective analysis covered statistical data concerning the diagnosis of lung cancer obtained from three centres in northern Poland (Olsztyn, Bydgoszcz, Gdansk) and concerning years 2016 to 2022. Relative risks (RR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) for cancer event were calculated. Before the pandemic, these centers prioritized the diagnosis of suspected lung cancer cases, which was subsequently disrupted during the pandemic due to various factors.
The COVID-19 pandemic led to a decrease in diagnosed lung cancer cases, especially in hospitals repurposed for COVID-19 care. A statistically significant trend in lung cancer incidence per 100,000 inhabitants was observed specifically in healthcare centers that maintained normal operations without disruption.
The concept of the COVID debt helps explain changes in lung cancer diagnosis during and post-pandemic, highlighting the need for increased public awareness and intensified diagnostic efforts to facilitate earlier disease detection.
肺癌是肿瘤导致死亡的主要原因之一，需要及时诊断和立即治疗。新冠疫情影响了全球医疗系统，对各个方面都产生了不利影响，尤其是对疑似肿瘤疾病患者的命运。医疗服务获取受限、常规运作中断（部分病房重新分配职责）、住院推迟、诊断流程延长以及其他因素共同导致了所谓的新冠疫情债务现象。
一项回顾性分析涵盖了从波兰北部三个中心（奥尔什丁、比得哥什、格但斯克）获取的2016年至2022年期间有关肺癌诊断的统计数据。计算了癌症事件的相对事件的相对风险（RR）及其95%置信区间（CI）。在疫情之前，这些中心优先诊断疑似肺癌病例，而在疫情期间，由于各种因素，这一工作受到了干扰。
新冠疫情导致肺癌确诊病例减少，尤其是在被重新用于新冠治疗的医院。具体而言，在维持正常运作未受干扰的医疗中心，观察到每10万居民中肺癌发病率有统计学意义的趋势。
新冠疫情债务的概念有助于解释疫情期间及之后肺癌诊断的变化，凸显了提高公众意识和加强诊断工作以促进疾病早期发现的必要性。
