Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40159533›Full record

ArticleEuropean spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society2025

Influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on the incidence and mortality of primary spinal tumors in the United States: A SEER analysis.

Wenbo Zhao, Kai Liu, Xijie Fu, Bo Liu, Wei Liu, Yubo Wang

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Article in European spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

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0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
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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

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. 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

6 authors.

Wenbo Zhao *Department of Neurosurgery, Second Hospital of Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, China.
Kai Liu *Department of Neurosurgery, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China.
Xijie FuDepartment of Spine Surgery, Tonghua Central Hospital, Tonghua, China.
Bo LiuDepartment of Neurosurgery, First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, China.
Wei Liu *Department of Spine Surgery, First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, China.
Yubo Wang *Department of Neurosurgery, First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, China. wangyubo@jlu.edu.cn.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionThe effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the incidence and mortality of patients with primary spinal tumors remain less explored. We sought to illuminate the influence of the pandemic on the diagnosis and treatment of primary spinal tumors, providing valuable information for improving diagnosis and treatment strategies when facing unprecedented healthcare strains.

methodsInitially, we assessed the demographic characteristics and pathological types of patients with primary spinal tumors who died attributed to COVID-19 during the pandemic (2020-2021). Next, we extracted data on the age-adjusted incidence and mortality rates of primary spinal tumors between 2018 and 2021. The rates for the entire population were retrieved first, followed by stratification based on demographic characteristics and type of pathology. The rates from 2018 to 2019, before the pandemic, served as a reference for comparison with the pandemic period (2020-2021). The SEER 22 Registries database was adopted for this study.

resultsIn 2020 and 2021, COVID-19 emerged as the leading cause of death among patients with primary spinal tumors. The majority of patients who died attributed to COVID-19 were male, white, and over 60 years of age. Notably, 46.8% (58 out of 124) of them were diagnosed with primary spinal meningiomas. Between the pre-pandemic (2018-2019) and pandemic (2020-2021) periods, the incidence of primary spinal tumors decreased from 1.31 to 1.22 per 100,000 individuals, with a particularly significant decline observed in meningiomas. Moreover, the mortality rates increased from 0.30 to 0.37 per 100,000 individuals during the same period. This increase in mortality was significant among white individuals, those aged ≥ 70 years, and patients with primary spinal meningiomas.

conclusionsOur analysis revealed that COVID-19 emerged as the primary threat to the survival of patients with primary spinal tumors during the pandemic. Compared with pre-pandemic data, we observed a significant decline in the incidence rates and a rise in mortality rates for primary spinal tumors.

Indexed as

COVID-19Spinal NeoplasmsAdultAgedAged, 80 and overFemaleHumansIncidenceMaleMeningiomaMiddle AgedPandemicsSARS-CoV-2SEER ProgramUnited StatesYoung AdultCOVID-19IncidenceMortalitySEER programSpinal cord tumor

Identifiers

PMID40159533

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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.