Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41143979›Full record

ArticleSurgery today2026

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on thoracic surgery volume in Japan: an analysis of the National Clinical Database.

Yasushi Shintani, Hiroyuki Yamamoto, Yukio Sato, Masayoshi Inoue, Keisuke Asakura, Hiroyuki Ito, Hidetaka Uramoto, Yoshinori Okada, Toshihiko Sato, Mariko Fukui and 5 more

Abstract read
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Article in Surgery today, 2026. 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. Observational
  2. 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

15 authors.

Yasushi ShintaniDepartment of General Thoracic Surgery, The University of Osaka, 2-2-L5, Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka, 565-0871, Japan. yshintani@thoracic.med.osaka-u.ac.jp.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2540-5288
Hiroyuki YamamotoDepartment of Healthcare Quality Assessment, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.
Yukio SatoDepartment of Thoracic Surgery, University of Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan.
Masayoshi InoueDivision of Thoracic Surgery, Department Surgery, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan.
Keisuke AsakuraDivision of Thoracic Surgery, Department of Surgery, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.
Hiroyuki ItoDepartment of Thoracic Surgery, Kanagawa Cancer Center, Kanagawa, Japan.
Hidetaka UramotoDepartment of Thoracic Surgery, Kanazawa Medical University, Ishikawa, Japan.
Yoshinori OkadaDepartment of Thoracic Surgery, Tohoku University, Miyagi, Japan.
Toshihiko SatoDepartment of General Thoracic, Breast and Pediatric Surgery, Fukuoka University School of Medicine, Fukuoka, Japan.
Mariko FukuiDepartment of General Thoracic Surgery, Juntendo University, Tokyo, Japan.
Yasushi HoshikawaDepartment of Thoracic Surgery, Fujita Health University School of Medicine, Aichi, Japan.
Toyofumi Fengshi Chen-YoshikawaDepartment of Thoracic Surgery, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Aichi, Japan.
Masayuki ChidaDepartment of General Thoracic Surgery, Dokkyo Medical University, Tochigi, Japan.
Norihiko IkedaDepartment of Surgery, Tokyo Medical University, Tokyo, Japan.
Ichiro YoshinoDepartment of Thoracic Surgery, International University of Health and Welfare School of Medicine, Chiba, Japan.

Funding

Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare JPMH23HA2011Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare JPMH24HA2015
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionThe COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted elective surgeries worldwide. This study evaluated the impact of the pandemic on thoracic surgery volumes in Japan and investigated real-world triage practices by thoracic surgeons.

methodsUsing Japan's National Clinical Database, we analyzed both annual and quarterly trends in surgical procedures and patient characteristics of lung and thymic tumors from 2019 to 2023.

resultsCompared to 2019, surgeries for primary lung cancer, thymic tumors, and spontaneous pneumothorax declined in 2020, with the most pronounced decreases occurring in Q2 during Japan's first state of emergency. Specifically, the numbers declined by 8.7%, 9.7%, and 27.1%, respectively. The greatest decline in pathological (p-) stage 0-IA1 lung cancer cases occurred in Q2 2020 (- 22% vs. Q2 2019), while reductions in more advanced stages during Q2 remained below 10%, with peak decreases observed in Q3. By 2023, the number of p-Stage II-IV cases had decreased, while the number of IA1-IB cases had increased. Thymoma and thymic cysts declined in Q2 2020 (- 4.4%, - 35.1%, respectively), but thymic cancer remained stable. Notably, thymic tumor size showed no temporal change throughout the study period. DISCUSSION: Despite strategic triage by thoracic surgeons during the initial phase of the pandemic, the overall disease profile of thoracic malignancies remained largely unaffected by treatment delays through 2023 in Japan. (200 words).

Indexed as

COVID-19Lung NeoplasmsPandemicsThoracic Surgical ProceduresThymus NeoplasmsAdultAgedDatabases, FactualElective Surgical ProceduresFemaleHumansJapanMaleMiddle AgedNeoplasm StagingPneumothoraxCOVID-19Lung cancerNational Clinical DatabaseSurgical triageThymic tumor

Identifiers

PMID41143979

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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.