ArticleRadiotherapy and oncology : journal of the European Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology2022
Fewer head and neck cancer diagnoses and faster treatment initiation during COVID-19 in 2020: A nationwide population-based analysis.
Article in Radiotherapy and oncology : journal of the European Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 26 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
26 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 49 citations in OpenAlex.
- The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on time to treatment in head and neck cancer management: a systematic review.Acta oncologica (Stockholm, Sweden) · 2025Pooled it
- The global impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on delays and disruptions in cancer care services: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Nature cancer · 2025Pooled it
- Impact of the Sars-Cov-2 outbreak on the initial clinical presentation of new solid cancer diagnoses: a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMC cancer · 2024Pooled it
- Effect of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Treatment Patterns, Complications and Tumour Stage in Sinonasal Malignancy Patients: A Retrospective Study.Journal of clinical medicine · 2026Article
- The COVID-19 pandemic has not influenced survival outcomes of head and neck cancer squamous cell carcinomas in the West of Scotland: a retrospective cohort study.BJC reports · 2026Article
- Parotid Gland Tumors: An Institutional 8-Year Retrospective Study Spanning the COVID-19 Pandemic and Global Diagnostic Trends.Journal of clinical medicine · 2025Article
- Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Treatment of Head and Neck Cancers.Journal of clinical medicine · 2025Article
- Shorter Time to Biopsy of Patients with Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Hungary.Cancers · 2025Article
- [Impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the diagnosis and treatment of head and neck cancer].HNO · 2024Article
- Article
- Laryngeal cancer incidence trends in the United States over 2000-2020: a population-based analysis.Archives of public health = Archives belges de sante publique · 2024Article
- The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Time to Treatment in Surgical Oncology: A National Registry Study in The Netherlands.Cancers · 2024Article
- Article
- Treatment of oropharyngeal cancer during the COVID-19 lockdown - outcomes for patients treated during the pandemic.Reports of practical oncology and radiotherapy : journal of Greatpoland Cancer Center in Poznan and Polish Society of Radiation Oncology · 2024Article
- Primary Diagnoses of Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Head and Neck During the COVID-19 Pandemic.Deutsches Arzteblatt international · 2023Article
- The COVID-19 pandemic has not changed stage at presentation nor treatment patterns of head and neck cancer: A retrospective cohort study.Clinical otolaryngology : official journal of ENT-UK ; official journal of Netherlands Society for Oto-Rhino-Laryngology & Cervico-Facial Surgery · 2023Article
- Prioritization of head and neck cancer patient care during the COVID-19 pandemic: a retrospective cohort study.Journal of otolaryngology - head & neck surgery = Le Journal d'oto-rhino-laryngologie et de chirurgie cervico-faciale · 2023Article
- Timeliness and Modality of Treatment for New Cancer Diagnoses During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Canada.JAMA network open · 2023Article
- Stage shift and relative survival for head and neck cancer during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic: a population-based study of temporal trends.Frontiers in oncology · 2023Article
- The impact of COVID-19 on presentation and diagnosis of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.Laryngoscope investigative otolaryngology · 2022Article
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Authors and funding
15 authors at 11 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundInevitably, the emergence of COVID-19 has impacted non-COVID care. Because timely diagnosis and treatment are essential, especially for patients with head and neck cancer (HNC) with fast-growing tumours in a functionally and aesthetically important area, we wished to quantify the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on HNC care in the Netherlands. MATERIAL AND
methodsThis population-based study covered all, in total 8468, newly diagnosed primary HNC cases in the Netherlands in 2018, 2019 and 2020. We compared incidence, patient and tumour characteristics, primary treatment characteristics, and time-to-treatment in the first COVID-19 year 2020 with corresponding periods in 2018 and 2019 (i.e. pre-COVID).
resultsThe incidence of HNC was nearly 25% less during the first wave (n = 433) than in 2019 (n = 595) and 2018 (n = 598). In April and May 2020, the incidence of oral cavity and laryngeal carcinomas was significantly lower than in pre-COVID years. There were no shifts in tumour stage or alterations in initial treatment modalities. Regardless of the first treatment modality and specific period, the median number of days between first visit to a HNC centre and start of treatment was significantly shorter during the COVID-19 year (26-28 days) than pre-COVID (31-32 days, p < 0.001).
conclusionThe incidence of HNC during the Netherlands' first COVID-19 wave was significantly lower than expected. The expected increase in incidence during the remainder of 2020 was not observed. Despite the overloaded healthcare system, the standard treatment for HNC patients could be delivered within a shorter time interval.
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