Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38587978›Full record

ArticleCanadian Urological Association journal = Journal de l'Association des urologues du Canada2024

Restricted access and advanced disease in post-pandemic testicular cancer.

Mitchell Fagan, W C Ian Janes, Matthew Andrews, David R Harvey, Geoff M Warden, Michael K Organ, Paul Johnston

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Canadian Urological Association journal = Journal de l'Association des urologues du Canada, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
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

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Review
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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.

Mitchell FaganFaculty of Medicine, Memorial University, St. John's, NL, Canada.
W C Ian JanesFaculty of Medicine, Memorial University, St. John's, NL, Canada.
Matthew AndrewsDepartment of Urology, Memorial University, St. John's, NL, Canada.
David R HarveyDepartment of Urology, Memorial University, St. John's, NL, Canada.
Geoff M WardenDiscipline of Anesthesia, Memorial University, St. John's, NL, Canada.
Michael K OrganDepartment of Urology, Memorial University, St. John's, NL, Canada.
Paul JohnstonDepartment of Urology, Memorial University, St. John's, NL, Canada.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionUrologists observed reduced cancer consultations and surgeries during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, raising concern about treatment delays. Testicular cancer serves as a particularly sensitive marker of this phenomenon, as the clinical stage of testicular cancer at presentation is predictive of cancer-specific survival. We aimed to investigate whether COVID-related restrictions to primary care access resulted in increased incidence of metastatic germ cell testis cancer.

methodsA retrospective chart review was conducted on all cases of testicular cancer managed surgically at our center from March 1, 2018, to February 28, 2023. Patients were categorized into temporal cohorts, representing before, during, and following the implementation of COVID-19 public health restrictions in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador.

resultsForty-one cases of testicular germ cell tumors were identified during the study period. The mean age at diagnosis was 40.8 years (standard deviation ±13.7). Demographics did not vary across the cohorts. Clinical stage 3 disease remained stable before and during the pandemic at 10.5% and 9.1% of cases, respectively. In the post-pandemic period, there was an increase to 27.3% (p=0.617). Surgical wait times remained stable across the pandemic (p=0.151).

conclusionsThere was a 16.8% rise in clinical stage 3 disease from the pre-pandemic to post-pandemic period. Our study failed to identify a statistically significant increase in metastatic testis cancer incidence upon lifting of pandemic restrictions. Further study is necessary to confirm suspicions that pandemic restrictions contributed to increased incidence of metastatic testis cancer.

Identifiers

PMID38587978
PMCPMC11326728

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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.