Impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on diagnosis of renal cell carcinoma and disease stage at presentation

Introduction: Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is often associated with significant morbidity and mortality, with overall survival contingent on multiple factors — most importantly, disease stage at diagnosis. Disruptions in healthcare delivery during the COVID-19 pandemic have resulted in various reported diagnostic and treatment delays, which have had detrimental impacts on malignancies such as RCC. Methods: Surgically managed cases of RCC at our center were identified using a retrospective chart review of all nephrectomies conducted from March 1, 2018, to February 28, 2023. Examination of disease characteristics in three time period cohorts (before, during, and following the COVID-19 pandemic) was undertaken. Timeframes were consistent with implementation and abolition of public health restrictions in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador. Results: A total of 483 surgically managed RCC cases were identified during the study period. The median age was 65 years (interquartile range [IQR] 56–71), and 62.3% of patients were male. Demographics did not vary across timeframes. Before and during the pandemic, pathologic stage 3 (pT3) disease was reported in 38.9% and 35.4% of cases, respectively, whereas the post-pandemic period saw this presentation in 50.0% of patients. Surgical wait times increased significantly across study timeframes (p=0.003). Conclusions: The first year following the COVID-19 pandemic saw an 11.1% increase in patients presenting with pT3 RCC. These findings are suggestive of a clinically significant stage migration, which paired with prolonged wait times for surgery, provide critical consideration in the urgency of diagnostic and treatment decisions for RCC in the immediate future.