Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39061209›Full record

ArticleCancers2024

Changes in Time to Initial Physician Contact and Cancer Stage Distribution during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Patients with Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma at a Large Hungarian Cancer Center.

Éva Szabó, Eszter Kopjár, László Rumi, Árpád Boronkai, Szabolcs Bellyei, Zoltán Gyöngyi, Antal Zemplényi, Balázs Sütő, János Girán, István Kiss and 2 more

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Cancers, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing 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

3 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. 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

12 authors.

Éva SzabóDepartment of Otorhinolaryngology, Clinical Center, University of Pécs, Munkácsy M. Street 2., 7621 Pécs, Hungary.
Eszter KopjárDepartment of Otorhinolaryngology, Clinical Center, University of Pécs, Munkácsy M. Street 2., 7621 Pécs, Hungary.
László RumiUrology Clinic, Clinical Center, University of Pécs, Munkácsy Mihaly Street 2, 7621 Pécs, Hungary.
Árpád BoronkaiDepartment of Oncotherapy, Clinical Center, University of Pécs, Édesanyák Street 17, 7624 Pécs, Hungary.
Szabolcs BellyeiDepartment of Oncotherapy, Clinical Center, University of Pécs, Édesanyák Street 17, 7624 Pécs, Hungary.
Zoltán GyöngyiDepartment of Public Health Medicine, Medical School, University of Pécs, Szigeti Street 12, 7624 Pécs, Hungary.ORCID 0000-0001-9330-9119
Antal ZemplényiCenter for Health Technology Assessment and Pharmacoeconomics Research, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Pécs, Rákóczi Street 2, 7623 Pécs, Hungary.ORCID 0000-0002-0177-0264
Balázs SütőDepartment of Anesthesiology and Intensive Therapy, Clinical Center, University of Pécs, Ifjúság Street 13, 7624 Pécs, Hungary.
János GiránDepartment of Public Health Medicine, Medical School, University of Pécs, Szigeti Street 12, 7624 Pécs, Hungary.ORCID 0000-0002-4309-0013
István KissDepartment of Public Health Medicine, Medical School, University of Pécs, Szigeti Street 12, 7624 Pécs, Hungary.
Éva PozsgaiDepartment of Public Health Medicine, Medical School, University of Pécs, Szigeti Street 12, 7624 Pécs, Hungary.
István SzanyiDepartment of Otorhinolaryngology, Clinical Center, University of Pécs, Munkácsy M. Street 2., 7621 Pécs, Hungary.

Funding

János Bolyai Research Scholarship of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences 2022 (no award/grant number)
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The aim of our study was to compare the characteristics and time to initial physician contact in patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) before and during the COVID-19 pandemic at a large Hungarian cancer center. This was a retrospective study of patients 18 years or older presenting at the regional cancer center of Pécs Clinical Center with HNSCC between 1 January 2017, and 15 March 2020 (the pre-COVID-19 period) and between 16 March 2020, and 13 May 2021 (the COVID-19 period). Demographic and clinical data were collected, and the time between initial symptom onset and initial physician contact (TTP) was determined. Descriptive and exploratory statistical analyses were performed. On average, the number of patients diagnosed with HNSCC per month during the pandemic decreased by 12.4% compared with the pre-COVID-19 period. There was a significant increase in stage I and stage II cancers (from 15.9% to 20.3% and from 12.2% to 13.8%, respectively; p < 0.001); a decrease in stage III and IVa,c cancers; and a significant increase in stage IVb cancers (from 6% to 19.9%; p < 0.001) during the pandemic. The median TTP increased during the pandemic from 43 to 61 days (p = 0.032). To our knowledge, this is the first study investigating the effect of COVID-19 on patients with HNSCC in the Central-Eastern European region. We found a bidirectional shift in cancer stages and increased TTP during the pandemic. Our findings highlight the necessity for more nuanced analyses of the effects of COVID-19.

Indexed as

cancer stageCOVID-19head and neck squamous cell carcinomapredictive factorsymptomtime to initial physician contactwaiting time

Identifiers

PMID39061209
PMCPMC11274479

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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.