Cancer diagnostic rates during the 2020 'lockdown', due to COVID-19 pandemic, compared with the 2018-2019: an audit study from cellular pathology

Aims We performed an audit to evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic-related delay in the diagnosis of major cancers at a Pathology Unit of a Secondary Care Hospital Network in Italy. Methods A comparison was made among the number of first cellular pathological diagnoses of malignancy made from the 11th to the 20th week of the years 2018-2020. Results Cancer diagnoses fell in 2020 by 39% compared with the average number recorded in 2018 and 2019. Prostate cancer (75%) bladder cancer (66%) and colorectal cancer (CRC; 62%) had the greatest decrease. CRC was identified as carrying a potentially important diagnostic delay. Conclusions For CRC corrective procedures (continuing mass screening tests; patient triage by family physicians; diagnostic procedures alternative to colonoscopy; predictive evaluation on biopsy samples) were advised. Our simple audit model is widely applicable to avoid pandemic-related delay in clinical diagnosis of cancer.

Automated summary

An audit was conducted to evaluate the impact of COVID-19 pandemic-related delays in cancer diagnosis at a Pathology Unit in Italy. The study found a significant decrease in cancer diagnoses in 2020, with prostate cancer, bladder cancer, and colorectal cancer showing the greatest declines. The findings highlight the importance of implementing corrective measures for timely cancer diagnosis during pandemics.