A research group at the Yokohama City University Hospital Chemotherapy Center found that the number of resection patients (surgical resection + surgical resection + endoscopic resection) was significantly suppressed.On the other hand, the number of new anticancer drug treatments for the 10 major cancers decreased in FY2019, but reached a record high in 2020.This result suggests that early cancer diagnosis that can be resected may not be properly implemented due to the influence of the new corona pandemic.
The research group was provided with national aggregate data of in-hospital cancer registries covering 7% of cancer patients nationwide (National Cancer Center Cancer Information Service "In-hospital Cancer Registry Nationwide Aggregation"). 10 types of cancer with the most patients (esophageal cancer, gastric cancer, colon cancer, rectal cancer, pancreatic cancer, non-small cell lung cancer, breast cancer, bladder cancer, prostate cancer, cervical cancer, 10 major cancers below) cancer).
With the aging of society, the number of cancer patients is originally on the rise, but in 2020 the number of new patients with the 10 major cancers has decreased significantly, and in 2021 the number will be almost the same as in 2019.By treatment, the number of patients treated with new anticancer drugs decreased in FY2020, but will increase significantly in FY2021, reaching a record high.On the other hand, the number of surgical resection patients and endoscopic resection patients decreased significantly in FY2020 and remained below the level of 2021 in FY2019.
This study shows that the number of new patients with 10 major cancers will drop significantly in 2020, and although it will increase in 2021, it will only slightly exceed the number in 2019.Also, by treatment, although the number of patients treated with new anticancer drugs has increased significantly, the number of surgically resected patients and endoscopically resected patients has fallen below the level of FY2019 before the COVID-XNUMX pandemic. The decrease in the number of cancer resection patients is thought to be due to the deterioration of access to medical institutions due to the COVID-XNUMX pandemic, the cancellation of health checkups, and the decline in the number of early cancer diagnoses due to refraining from receiving medical examinations.
Resection of early-stage cancer is an important treatment that can aim for a complete cure, and mass screening* such as low-dose chest CT (lung cancer), fecal occult blood (colon cancer), Pap test (cervical cancer), and mammography (breast cancer). has long been known to reduce mortality risk.Therefore, although it is premised that infection control measures are taken, it is expected that this research will lead to the promotion of health examinations and consultations.
*Mass screening means that mass screening such as low-dose chest CT (lung cancer), fecal occult blood (colon cancer), Pap test (cervical cancer), and mammography (breast cancer) can reduce the mortality rate of patients. , has been confirmed by reliable studies and is recommended worldwide.
Paper information:[Journal of the American College of Surgeons] Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Cancer Treatment: Nationwide Japanese Registration Until 2021
