Evidence map›Paper›PMID 37165951›Full record

ArticleCancer medicine2023

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on cancer healthcare utilization in southwestern China on March 2021.

Peiyi Li, Yajuan Zhu, Yaqiang Wang, Xiaoyu Liu, Xiang Fang, Yuanxin Hou, Rujun Zheng, Junying Li, Bo Zhang, Zhuo Chen and 4 more

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Cancer medicine, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
8citing papers in PubMed
1.8field-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

8 citing papers in PubMed, 8 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Review
  2. Post-COVID-19 changes in care-seeking behaviors among Chinese cancer survivors: a cross-sectional study.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2026
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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

14 authors at 7 institutions in 2 countries.

Peiyi LiDepartment of Anesthesiology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China.ORCID 0000-0002-2380-2562
Yajuan ZhuDepartment of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China.
Yaqiang WangCollege of Software Engineering, Chengdu University of Information Technology, Chengdu, Sichuan, China.
Xiaoyu LiuDepartment of Health Policy and Management, UCLA Fielding School of Public Health, University of California, Los Angeles, California, USA.
Xiang FangDepartment of Orthopedics, Orthopedic Research Institute, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China.
Yuanxin HouInstitute of Hospital Management, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, China.
Rujun ZhengDepartment of Thoracic Oncology, West China School of Nursing, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China.
Junying LiDepartment of Thoracic Oncology, West China School of Nursing, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China.
Bo ZhangDepartment of Neurology and ICCTR Biostatistics and Research Design Center, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.ORCID 0000-0003-1574-198X
Zhuo ChenDepartment of Health Policy and Management, College of Public Health, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, USA.
Chengdi WangDepartment of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China.
Tao ZhuDepartment of Anesthesiology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China.
Weimin LiDepartment of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China.ORCID 0000-0003-0985-0311
Xuesong HanSurveillance & Health Equity Science, American Cancer Society, Atlanta, Georgia, USA.ORCID 0000-0001-7159-7949
Sichuan University · CNChinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College · CNAmerican Cancer Society · USBoston Children's Hospital · USChengdu University of Information Technology · CNUniversity of California, Los Angeles · USUniversity of Nottingham Ningbo China · CN

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundOncological care has been disrupted worldwide during the COVID-19 pandemic. We aimed to quantify the long-term impact of the pandemic on cancer care utilization and to examine how this impact varied by sociodemographic and clinical factors in southwestern China, where the Dynamic Zero-COVID Strategy was implemented. This strategy mainly included lockdowns, stringent testing, and travel restrictions to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

methodWe identified 859,497 episodes of the utilization of cancer care from electronic medical records between January 1, 2019, and March 31, 2021, from the cancer center of a tertiary hospital serving an estimated population of 8.4 million in southwestern China. Changes in weekly utilization were evaluated via segmented Poisson regression across service categories, stratified by cancer type and sociodemographic factors.

resultsA sharp reduction in utilization of in-person cancer services occurred during the first week of the pandemic outbreak in January 2020, followed by a quick rebound in February 2020. Although there were few COVID-19 cases from March 2020 until this analysis, the recovery of most in-person services was slow and remained incomplete as of March 31, 2021. The exceptions were outpatient radiation and surgery, which increased and exceeded pre-pandemic levels, particularly among lung cancer patients; meanwhile, telemedicine utilization increased substantially after the onset of the pandemic. Care disruptions were most prominent for women, rural residents, uninsured, and breast cancer patients.

conclusionsAs of March 2021, despite few COVID-19 cases, the COVID-19 pandemic has had a strong and continuing impact on in-person oncology care utilization in southwestern China under the Dynamic Zero-COVID Strategy. Equitable and timely access to cancer care requires adjustment in strict policies for COVID-19 prevention and control, as well as targeted remedies for the most vulnerable populations during and beyond the pandemic. Future studies should monitor the long-term effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and response strategies on cancer care and outcomes.

Indexed as

Breast NeoplasmsCOVID-19ChinaCommunicable Disease ControlFemaleHumansPandemicsPatient Acceptance of Health Carecancer care disparitiescancer care utilizationCOVID-19southwestern China

Identifiers

PMID37165951
PMCPMC10315764
OpenAlexW4376132677

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

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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.