Trends in breast, colon, pancreatic, and uterine cancers in women during the COVID‐19 pandemic in North Carolina
Abstract Importance The COVID‐19 pandemic led to reductions in primary care and cancer screening visits, which may delay detection of some cancers. The impact on incidence has not been fully quantified. We examined change in cancer incidence to determine how the COVID‐19 pandemic may have altered th...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wiley
2024-04-01
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| Series: | Cancer Medicine |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1002/cam4.7156 |
| _version_ | 1797205655362207744 |
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| author | Sarah J. Nyante Allison M. Deal Hillary M. Heiling Kyung Su Kim Cherie M. Kuzmiak Benjamin C. Calhoun Emily M. Ray |
| author_facet | Sarah J. Nyante Allison M. Deal Hillary M. Heiling Kyung Su Kim Cherie M. Kuzmiak Benjamin C. Calhoun Emily M. Ray |
| author_sort | Sarah J. Nyante |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Importance The COVID‐19 pandemic led to reductions in primary care and cancer screening visits, which may delay detection of some cancers. The impact on incidence has not been fully quantified. We examined change in cancer incidence to determine how the COVID‐19 pandemic may have altered the characteristics of cancers diagnosed among women. Methods This study included female patients aged ≥18 years and diagnosed with breast (n = 9489), colon (n = 958), pancreatic (n = 669), or uterine (n = 1991) cancer at three hospitals in North Carolina. Using interrupted time series, we compared incidence of cancers diagnosed between March 2020 and November 2020 (during pandemic) with cancers diagnosed between January 2016 and February 2020 (pre‐pandemic). Results During the pandemic, incidence of breast and uterine cancers was significantly lower than expected compared to pre‐pandemic (breast—18%, p = 0.03; uterine −20%, p = 0.05). Proportions of advanced pathologic stage and hormone receptor‐negative breast cancers, and advanced clinical stage and large size uterine cancers were more prevalent during the pandemic. No significant changes in incidence were detected for pancreatic (−20%, p = 0.08) or colon (+14%, p = 0.30) cancers. Conclusion and Relevance In women, the COVID‐19 pandemic resulted in a significant reduction in the incidence of breast and uterine cancers, but not colon or pancreatic cancers. A change in the proportion of poor prognosis breast and uterine cancers suggests that some cancers that otherwise would have been diagnosed at an earlier stage will be detected in later years. Continued analysis of long‐term trends is needed to understand the full impact of the pandemic on cancer incidence and outcomes. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-24T08:54:34Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-9d755f30f757492aa02ebe1a9752070b |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2045-7634 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-24T08:54:34Z |
| publishDate | 2024-04-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Cancer Medicine |
| spelling | doaj.art-9d755f30f757492aa02ebe1a9752070b2024-04-16T08:48:34ZengWileyCancer Medicine2045-76342024-04-01137n/an/a10.1002/cam4.7156Trends in breast, colon, pancreatic, and uterine cancers in women during the COVID‐19 pandemic in North CarolinaSarah J. Nyante0Allison M. Deal1Hillary M. Heiling2Kyung Su Kim3Cherie M. Kuzmiak4Benjamin C. Calhoun5Emily M. Ray6Department of Radiology University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Chapel Hill North Carolina USALineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Chapel Hill North Carolina USALineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Chapel Hill North Carolina USALineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Chapel Hill North Carolina USADepartment of Radiology University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Chapel Hill North Carolina USALineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Chapel Hill North Carolina USALineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Chapel Hill North Carolina USAAbstract Importance The COVID‐19 pandemic led to reductions in primary care and cancer screening visits, which may delay detection of some cancers. The impact on incidence has not been fully quantified. We examined change in cancer incidence to determine how the COVID‐19 pandemic may have altered the characteristics of cancers diagnosed among women. Methods This study included female patients aged ≥18 years and diagnosed with breast (n = 9489), colon (n = 958), pancreatic (n = 669), or uterine (n = 1991) cancer at three hospitals in North Carolina. Using interrupted time series, we compared incidence of cancers diagnosed between March 2020 and November 2020 (during pandemic) with cancers diagnosed between January 2016 and February 2020 (pre‐pandemic). Results During the pandemic, incidence of breast and uterine cancers was significantly lower than expected compared to pre‐pandemic (breast—18%, p = 0.03; uterine −20%, p = 0.05). Proportions of advanced pathologic stage and hormone receptor‐negative breast cancers, and advanced clinical stage and large size uterine cancers were more prevalent during the pandemic. No significant changes in incidence were detected for pancreatic (−20%, p = 0.08) or colon (+14%, p = 0.30) cancers. Conclusion and Relevance In women, the COVID‐19 pandemic resulted in a significant reduction in the incidence of breast and uterine cancers, but not colon or pancreatic cancers. A change in the proportion of poor prognosis breast and uterine cancers suggests that some cancers that otherwise would have been diagnosed at an earlier stage will be detected in later years. Continued analysis of long‐term trends is needed to understand the full impact of the pandemic on cancer incidence and outcomes.https://doi.org/10.1002/cam4.7156breast cancercolon cancerepidemiologypancreatic cancerprognosisuterine cancer |
| spellingShingle | Sarah J. Nyante Allison M. Deal Hillary M. Heiling Kyung Su Kim Cherie M. Kuzmiak Benjamin C. Calhoun Emily M. Ray Trends in breast, colon, pancreatic, and uterine cancers in women during the COVID‐19 pandemic in North Carolina Cancer Medicine breast cancer colon cancer epidemiology pancreatic cancer prognosis uterine cancer |
| title | Trends in breast, colon, pancreatic, and uterine cancers in women during the COVID‐19 pandemic in North Carolina |
| title_full | Trends in breast, colon, pancreatic, and uterine cancers in women during the COVID‐19 pandemic in North Carolina |
| title_fullStr | Trends in breast, colon, pancreatic, and uterine cancers in women during the COVID‐19 pandemic in North Carolina |
| title_full_unstemmed | Trends in breast, colon, pancreatic, and uterine cancers in women during the COVID‐19 pandemic in North Carolina |
| title_short | Trends in breast, colon, pancreatic, and uterine cancers in women during the COVID‐19 pandemic in North Carolina |
| title_sort | trends in breast colon pancreatic and uterine cancers in women during the covid 19 pandemic in north carolina |
| topic | breast cancer colon cancer epidemiology pancreatic cancer prognosis uterine cancer |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1002/cam4.7156 |
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