Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34797482›Full record

ArticleAnnals of surgical oncology2022

COVID-19 is Affecting the Presentation and Treatment of Melanoma Patients in the Northeastern United States.

Catherine H Davis, Jason Ho, Stephanie H Greco, Vadim P Koshenkov, Roberto J Vidri, Jeffrey M Farma, Adam C Berger

Open access · bronzeAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Annals of surgical oncology, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 13 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
13citing papers in PubMed, 3 pooled it
1.7field-weighted citation impact, top 13% 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

13 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 27 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
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  11. Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Melanoma Diagnosis in Romania-Data from Two University Centers.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022
    Article
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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

7 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.

Catherine H DavisDivision of Surgical Oncology, Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ, USA.
Jason HoRutgers Robert Wood Johnson University Medical School, New Brunswick, NJ, USA.
Stephanie H GrecoDivision of Surgical Oncology, Fox Chase Cancer Center, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
Vadim P KoshenkovDivision of Surgical Oncology, Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ, USA.
Roberto J VidriDivision of Surgical Oncology, Fox Chase Cancer Center, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
Jeffrey M FarmaDivision of Surgical Oncology, Fox Chase Cancer Center, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
Adam C BergerDivision of Surgical Oncology, Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ, USA. adam.berger@rutgers.edu.
Fox Chase Cancer Center · USRutgers, The State University of New Jersey · USJohnson University · US

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundCovid-19 significantly affected healthcare delivery over the past year, with a shift in focus away from nonurgent care. Emerging data are showing that screening for breast and colon cancer has dramatically decreased. It is unknown whether the same trend has affected patients with melanoma.

methodsThis is a retrospective cohort study of melanoma patients at two large-volume cancer centers. Patients were compared for 8 months before and after the lockdown. Outcomes focused on delay in treatment and possible resultant upstaging of melanoma.

resultsA total of 375 patients were treated pre-lockdown and 313 patients were treated post-lockdown (17% decrease). Fewer patients presented with in situ disease post-lockdown (15.3% vs. 17.9%), and a higher proportion presented with stage III-IV melanoma (11.2% vs. 9.9%). Comparing patients presenting 2 months before versus 2 months after the lockdown, there was an even more significant increase in Stage III-IV melanoma from 7.1% to 27.5% (p < 0.0001). Finally, in Stage IIIB-IIID patients, there was a decrease in patients receiving adjuvant therapy in the post lockdown period (20.0% vs. 15.2%).

conclusionsAs a result of the recent pandemic, it appears there has been a shift away from melanoma in situ and toward more advanced disease, which may have significant downstream effects on prognosis and could be due to a delay in screening. Significantly patients have presented after the lockdown, and fewer patients are undergoing the recommended adjuvant therapies. Patient outreach efforts are essential to ensure that patients continue to receive preventative medical care and screening as the pandemic continues.

Indexed as

COVID-19MelanomaCommunicable Disease ControlHumansRetrospective StudiesSARS-CoV-2

Identifiers

PMID34797482
PMCPMC8603898
OpenAlexW3149644437

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
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.