Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Diagnosis and Treatment of Cutaneous Melanoma in a Public Health Service in Brazil.

Objective: The authors sought to evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the incidence, tumor thickness, and time between diagnosis and first treatment of cutaneous melanoma patients.

Methods: A retrospective observational study was conducted based on the analysis of electronic medical records of patients treated at a reference service in Cutaneous Oncology within the scope of the Unified Health System in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. The population was evaluated according to the date of diagnosis and was classified into three periods: 1) pre-pandemic period (January 2019 to March 2020), 2) pandemic period 1 (April 2020 to June 2021), and 3) pandemic period 2 (July 2021 to September 2022). Sociodemographic characteristics of the study population, tumor characteristics, and the time interval between diagnosis and first treatment were evaluated.

Results: Seventy-six patients were evaluated, 25 (32.89%) diagnosed in the pre-pandemic period, 22 (28.94%) in pandemic period 1, and 29 (38.15%) in pandemic period 2. No significant differences were observed between the sociodemographic characteristics of the population, tumor thickness, and the presence of ulceration in the three periods analyzed. There was also no delay between diagnosis and the first treatment during the pandemic.

Limitations: The size of the population, and the use of retrospective data extracted from medical records, without a systematized record of information.

Conclusion: The COVID-19 pandemic did not impact the incidence, thickness of melanomas, or the time between diagnosis and first treatment. This study demonstrated the importance of adapting the routine of health services and adapting the flow of oncology care in times of health crisis.