Evidence map›Paper›PMID 32451657›Full record

ArticleInternational orthopaedics2020

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on patients suffering from musculoskeletal tumours.

Martin Thaler, Ismail Khosravi, Andreas Leithner, Panayiotis J Papagelopoulos, Pietro Ruggieri

Open access · hybridAbstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in International orthopaedics, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 23 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
23citing papers in PubMed, 2 pooled it
6.3field-weighted citation impact, top 3% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

23 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 36 citations in OpenAlex.

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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors at 4 institutions in 3 countries.

Martin ThalerDepartment of Orthopaedic Surgery, Medical University of Innsbruck, Anichstr. 35, 6020, Innsbruck, Austria. martin.thaler@i-med.ac.at.ORCID 0000-0003-3025-2930
Ismail KhosraviDepartment of Orthopaedic Surgery, Medical University of Innsbruck, Anichstr. 35, 6020, Innsbruck, Austria.
Andreas LeithnerDepartment of Orthopaedics and Trauma, Medical University of Graz, Auenbruggerplatz 5, 8036, Graz, Austria.
Panayiotis J PapagelopoulosFirst Department of Orthopedic Surgery, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Attikon University General Hospital, 1 Rimini Str, P.C. 12462, Haidari, Athens, Greece.
Pietro RuggieriDepartment of Orthopaedics and Orthopaedic Oncology, University of Padova, Via Nicolò Giustiniani, 3, 35128, Padova, Italy.
Innsbruck Medical University · ATMedical University of Graz · ATNational and Kapodistrian University of Athens · GRUniversity of Padua · IT

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe aim of the current study was to evaluate the impact of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic on musculoskeletal tumor service by conducting an online survey of physicians.

methodsThe survey was conducted among the members of the ISOLS (International Society of Limb Salvage) and the EMSOS (European Musculo-Skeletal Oncology Society). The survey consisted of 20 questions (single, multiple-response, ranked): origin and surgical experience of the participant (four questions), potential disruption of healthcare (12 questions), and influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on the particular physician (four questions). A matrix with four different response options was created for the particular surgical procedures).

resultsOne hundred forty-nine physicians from five continents completed the survey. Of the respondents, 20.1% and 20.7% stated that surgery for life-threatening sarcomas were stopped or delayed, respectively. Even when the malignancy was expected to involve infiltration of a neurovascular bundle or fracture of a bone, still 13.8% and 14.7% of the respondents, respectively, stated that surgery was not performed. In cases of pending fractures of bone tumors, 37.5 to 46.2% of operations were canceled.

conclusionThe SARS-CoV-2 pandemic caused a significant reduction in healthcare (surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy) for malignancies of the musculoskeletal system. Delaying or stopping these treatments is life-threatening or can cause severe morbidity, pain, and loss of function. Although the coronavirus disease causes severe medical complications, serious collateral damage including death due to delayed or untreated sarcomas should be avoided.

Indexed as

BetacoronavirusCoronavirus InfectionsPandemicsPneumonia, ViralAdolescentAdultChildChild, PreschoolCOVID-19HumansInfantMiddle AgedSarcomaSARS-CoV-2Surveys and QuestionnairesYoung AdultCOVID-19HealthcareMusculoskeletal tumorOncologyPandemicSarcomaSARS-CoV-2Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2

Identifiers

PMID32451657
PMCPMC7247966
OpenAlexW3029613155

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.