Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34407086›Full record

ArticlePloS one2021

The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on quality of life in skin cancer patients.

Jonas K Kurzhals, Gina Klee, Hauke Busch, Victoria Hagelstein, Detlef Zillikens, Patrick Terheyden, Ewan A Langan

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in PloS one, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
7citing papers in PubMed
1.2field-weighted citation impact, top 18% 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

7 citing papers in PubMed, 14 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Article
  2. Article
  3. Review
  4. Article
  5. Healthcare and safety of patients with melanoma during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Italy.Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology : JEADV · 2022
    Article
  6. Article
  7. Article
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

7 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.

Jonas K KurzhalsDepartment of Dermatology, University of Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany.
Gina KleeDepartment of Dermatology, University of Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany.
Hauke BuschLübeck Institute of Experimental Dermatology, University of Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany.
Victoria HagelsteinDepartment of Dermatology, University of Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany.
Detlef ZillikensDepartment of Dermatology, University of Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany.
Patrick TerheydenDepartment of Dermatology, University of Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany.
Ewan A LanganDepartment of Dermatology, University of Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany.ORCID 0000-0001-7624-2784
University of Lübeck · DEUniversity of Manchester · GB

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

With more than 82 million cases worldwide and almost two million deaths, the Covid-19 global pandemic shows little sign of abating. However, its effect on quality of life (QoL) in skin cancer patients has not been systematically evaluated to date. Given that QoL impairments may be associated with increased psychological morbidity, and may interfere with engagement with cancer therapy and follow-up, we prospectively evaluated quality of life in skin cancer patients using the Covid-19 Emotional Impact Survey (C-19EIS) and the EORTC QLQ-C30 questionnaires. 101 patients (48 females and 53 males) completed both questionnaires. The mean C-19EIS score was 3.8 on a scale from 0 (no impact) to 12 (severe impact). Patients undergoing systemic therapy showed significantly impaired physical (p = 0.006) and social functioning (p = 0.003). However, when compared to the published normative EORTC QLQ-C30 data, there was no evidence that the Covid-19 pandemic had significantly impacted upon overall quality of life. Subscales of the EORTC QLQ-C30 were significantly inversely correlated with the C-19EIS, validating its use in skin cancer patients. Despite the Covid-19 pandemic, skin cancer patients in our tertiary referral center were surprisingly resilient. However, given the geographical variations in the rates of Sars-CoV-2 infection it is possible that the low incidence in Northern Germany may have resulted in a lack of general QoL impairments. Multi-center studies are required to further determine the impact of Covid-19 on psychological wellbeing in skin cancer patients in order to develop supportive interventions and to ensure that engagement with cancer care services is maintained in order to enable early detection of cancer progression and/or recurrence.

Indexed as

AdultAgedAged, 80 and overAntineoplastic Agents, ImmunologicalCOVID-19FemaleGermanyHumansMaleMiddle AgedPandemicsProspective StudiesQuality of LifeResilience, PsychologicalSkin NeoplasmsSurveys and QuestionnairesAntineoplastic Agents, Immunological

Identifiers

PMID34407086
PMCPMC8372941
OpenAlexW3195171875

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.