COVID-19 pandemic: Impacts on diagnosis and treatment of colorectal cancer

Abstract

Abstract Introduction: Since its first strike in 2019, the highly contagious Sars-Cov-2 virus has not only directly caused millions of deaths in Vietnam but also indirectly affected many other diseases such as colorectal cancer. In order to clarify this statement, this study was conducted to investigate the difference in disease stage, curative rate of colorectal cancer before and after the Covid-19 outbreak. Patients and Methods: A retrospective study was conducted at Univercity Medical Center, Ho Chi Minh city. Data on cancer stage, surgical methods, and rate of preoperative and postoperative complications were collected from patients treated at the hospital in two stages: group A including patients from February to April 2021 (before applying social distancing) and group B including patients from September to November 2011 (when applying social distancing). Results: When comparing 201 patients in group A and 150 patients in group B, the results showed that the clinical characteristics of the two groups were identical. However, the percentage of cancer that had metastasized at the time of diagnosis was significantly higher in group B than in group A (32% vs 21.4%, p = 0.025), leading to a decrease of radical cure rate in group B (44.7% versus 69.1%, p < 0.001). Particularly for rectal cancer, the rate of advanced tumors (stage T3 CRM+ or T4) in group B was higher than in group A (77.2% vs 58.1%, p = 0.026). Conclusion: In general, not only directly threatening peoples health, the Covid-19 pandemic also delayed the diagnosis of colorectal cancer due to the influence of distancing regulation and the patient's psychological fear, thereby affecting patients prognosis. Keywords: Covid-19, Sars-Cov-2 virus, colorectal cancer, advanced stage cancer.