Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40664720›Full record

ArticleScientific reports2025

Pleural mesothelioma incidence and use of systemic treatment decreased during the COVID-19 pandemic in The Netherlands.

Illaa Smesseim, Li-Anne H Douma, Jacobus A Burgers, Ronald A M Damhuis

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Scientific reports, 2025. 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

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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
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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

4 authors.

Illaa SmesseimDepartment of Thoracic Oncology, Netherlands Cancer Institute, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. i.smesseim@nki.nl.
Li-Anne H DoumaDepartment of Thoracic Oncology, Netherlands Cancer Institute, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Jacobus A BurgersDepartment of Thoracic Oncology, Netherlands Cancer Institute, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Ronald A M DamhuisDepartment of Research and Development, Association of Comprehensive Cancer Centres, Utrecht, The Netherlands.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Pleural mesothelioma (PM) is a lethal cancer often linked to asbestos exposure. The COVID-19 pandemic caused a global health crisis, raising concerns about its impact on cancer diagnoses and treatments. In response to the immense pressures on the healthcare system caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, many countries advised prioritizing essential healthcare services while postponing or suspending care considered non-emergent to prevent overburdening healthcare systems. This study assesses the impact of COVID-19 on the incidence, treatment, and overall survival of PM patients in the Netherlands between 2018 and 2022. Data were collected from the Netherlands Cancer Registry for 2,629 PM patients. Incidence, treatment patterns, and survival rates were analyzed using statistical methods, including Kruskal-Wallis and log-rank tests. PM incidence dropped 13.2% in 2020 during the pandemic, with a 58.8% increase in patients receiving best supportive care and a decline in chemotherapy use (from 39.4% to 32.0%). In 2021, diagnoses rebounded (+ 15.2%), and immunotherapy use rose following its approval. However, no significant difference in overall survival was found between 2018 and 2022. COVID-19 led to a temporary decline in PM diagnoses and systemic treatments in 2020, followed by recovery in 2021. Despite these changes, overall survival rates remained stable.

Indexed as

COVID-19MesotheliomaPleural NeoplasmsAgedAged, 80 and overFemaleHumansIncidenceMaleMesothelioma, MalignantMiddle AgedNetherlandsPandemicsRegistriesSARS-CoV-2Survival RateAsbestosCovid-19MesotheliomaPandemicPleural mesothelioma

Identifiers

PMID40664720
PMCPMC12263832

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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.