Evidence map›Paper›PMID 37495980›Full record

ArticleBMC cancer2023

Impact of COVID-19 control on lung, breast, and colorectal pathological cancer diagnoses. A comparison between the Netherlands, Aotearoa New Zealand, and Northern Ireland.

Helen Mitchell, Jennifer Mclean, Anna T Gavin, Otto Visser, Elinor Millar, Tessa Luff, Damien Bennett

Open access · goldAbstract readComparative Study
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in BMC cancer, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
2.3field-weighted citation impact, top 10% 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

4 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 10 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Review
  3. Article
  4. 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 4 institutions in 4 countries.

Helen MitchellCentre for Public Health, Northern Ireland Cancer Registry, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, Northern Ireland. helen.mitchell@qub.ac.uk.
Jennifer McleanCentre for Public Health, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, Northern Ireland.
Anna T GavinCentre for Public Health, Northern Ireland Cancer Registry, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, Northern Ireland.
Otto VisserDepartment of Registration, Netherlands Comprehensive Cancer Organisation, Utrecht, Netherlands.
Elinor MillarTe Aho o Te Kahu - Cancer Control Agency, Wellington, New Zealand.
Tessa LuffTe Aho o Te Kahu - Cancer Control Agency, Wellington, New Zealand.
Damien BennettCentre for Public Health, Northern Ireland Cancer Registry, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, Northern Ireland.
Health Promotion Agency · NZNational Cancer Registry · IENetherlands Comprehensive Cancer Organisation · NLQueen's University Belfast · GB

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic was managed in Aotearoa New Zealand (NZ) by a COVID-19 elimination policy, involving border closure and an initial national lockdown. This was different to most other countries including Northern Ireland (NI) and the Netherlands (NED). We quantify the effect of these policies on the diagnosis of three major cancers, comparing NZ with these two European countries.

methodData from NED, NZ and NI population-based cancer registries were used to assess trends in all pathologically diagnosed (PD) lung, breast, and colorectal cancers from March to December 2020 (pandemic period) and compared to the similar pre-pandemic period (2017-2019). Trend data were also collated on COVID-19 cases and deaths per 100,000 in each population.

resultsComparing the pre-pandemic period to the pandemic period there were statistically significant reductions in numbers of lung (↓23%) and colorectal (↓15%) PD cancers in NI and numbers of breast (↓18%) and colorectal cancer (↓18.5%) diagnosed in the NED. In NZ there was no significant change in the number of lung (↑10%) or breast cancers (↑0.2%) but a statistically significant increase in numbers of colorectal cancer diagnosed (↑5%).

conclusionThe impact of COVID-19 on cancer services was mitigated in NZ as services continued as usual reflecting minimal healthcare disruption and protected cancer services linked with the elimination approach adopted. The reduction in PD cases diagnosed in NED and NI were linked with higher COVID-19 rates and reflect societal restrictions which resulted in delayed patient presentation to primary and secondary care, disruption to screening and healthcare services as a result of COVID-19 infections on staff and the need to shift intensive care to COVID-19 patients. Reductions in PD cancers in NI and the NED and in particularly lung cancers in NI, highlight the need for targeted public health campaigns to identify and treat 'missing' patients. Protecting cancer services should be a priority in any future pandemic or systemic healthcare system disruption.

Indexed as

Breast NeoplasmsColorectal NeoplasmsCOVID-19Lung NeoplasmsFemaleHumansMaleNetherlandsNew ZealandNorthern IrelandPandemicsRegistriesCancerCOVID-19PathologyPopulation-basedRegistry

Identifiers

PMID37495980
PMCPMC10373228
OpenAlexW4385276462

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.