The global impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on delays and disruptions in cancer care services: a systematic review and meta-analysis

https://www.nature.com/articles/s43018-024-00880-4

created by AcornAl on 03/01/2025 at 13:59 UTC

21 upvotes, 2 top-level comments (showing 2)

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Comment by AutoModerator at 03/01/2025 at 13:59 UTC

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Comment by AcornAl at 03/01/2025 at 14:00 UTC

4 upvotes, 0 direct replies

The coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic substantially impacted the delivery of cancer services and programs. Here we reviewed and synthesized the global scale and impact of pandemic-related delays and disruptions on cancer services, including diagnosis, diagnostic procedures, screening, treatment and supportive and palliative care. Based on data from 245 articles in 46 countries, we observed declines in the number of cancer screening participation (39.0%), diagnoses (23.0%), diagnostic procedures (24.0%) and treatment (28.0%), ranging from a 15.0% decline for radiotherapy to a 35.0% decline for systemic treatment during the pandemic compared to during the prepandemic period. Medium-human development index (HDI) category countries experienced greater reductions than high- and very-high-HDI countries. Missing data from low-HDI countries emphasize the need for increased investments in cancer surveillance and research in these settings.