Limited impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on colorectal cancer care in the Netherlands in 2020.

PURPOSE: The COVID-19 pandemic had a major impact on the health services worldwide. We aimed to investigate the impact of the pandemic on colorectal cancer (CRC) care in the Netherlands in 2020. METHODS: CRC patients, diagnosed in 2018-2020 in the Netherlands, were selected from the Netherlands Cancer Registry (NCR). The year 2020 was divided in four periods reflecting COVID-19 developments in the Netherlands (pre-COVID, 1st peak, recovery period, 2nd peak) and compared with the same periods in 2018/2019. Patient characteristics and treatment were compared using the Chi-squared test. Median time between diagnosis and treatment, and between (neo)adjuvant therapy and surgery were analyzed by the Mann-Whitney U test. RESULTS: In total, 38,021 CRC patients were diagnosed in 2018/2019 (n = 26,816) and 2020 (n = 11,205). Median time between diagnosis and initial treatment decreased on average 4 days and median time between neoadjuvant radiotherapy and surgery in clinical stage II or III rectal cancer patients increased on average 34 days during the three COVID-19 periods compared to the same periods of 2018/2019. The proportion of colon cancer patients that underwent elective surgery significantly decreased with 3.0% during the 1st peak. No differences were found in the proportion of patients who received (neo)adjuvant therapy, systemic therapy, or no anti-cancer treatment. CONCLUSION: Only minor changes in the care for CRC patients occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic, mostly during the 1st peak. In conclusion, the impact on CRC care in the Netherlands was found to be limited. However, long-term effects cannot be precluded.

Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Colorectal Cancer Care in the Netherlands: A Population-based Study.

INTRODUCTION: The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted health care services worldwide. In the Netherlands, the first confirmed COVID-19 infection was on February 27, 2020. We aimed to investigate the impact of the pandemic on colorectal cancer care in the Netherlands. METHODS: Colorectal cancer patients who were diagnosed in 25 hospitals in weeks 2 to 26 of the year 2020 were selected from the Netherlands Cancer Registry (NCR) and divided in 4 periods. The average number of patients treated per type of initial treatment was analyzed by the Mantel-Haenszel test adjusted for age. Median time between diagnosis and treatment and between (neo)adjuvant therapy and surgery were analyzed by the Mann Whitney test. Percentages of (acute) resection, stoma and (neo)adjuvant therapy were compared using the Chi-squared test. RESULTS: In total, 1,653 patients were included. The patient population changed during the COVID-19 pandemic regarding higher stage and more clinical presentation with ileus at time of diagnosis. Slight changes were found regarding type of initial treatment. Median time between diagnosis and treatment decreased on average by 4.5 days during the pandemic. The proportion of colon cancer patients receiving a stoma significantly increased with 6.5% during the pandemic. No differences were found in resection rate and treatment with (neo)adjuvant therapy. CONCLUSION: Despite the disruptive impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on global health care, the impact on colorectal cancer care in the Netherlands was limited.

Long-term impact of cognitive deficits and epilepsy on quality of life in patients with low-grade meningiomas.

BACKGROUND: WHO Grade I meningiomas are common, usually benign, primary brain tumors. Little is known about the health-related quality of life (HRQOL) of patients with meningiomas. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the long-term HRQOL in patients with meningiomas and its association with cognitive deficits and epilepsy. METHODS: HRQOL was assessed by the Short-Form Health Survey questionnaire (SF-36) in 89 patients with WHO Grade I meningiomas at least 1 year following neurosurgery with or without radiotherapy. Cognitive functioning was measured by a neuropsychological test battery, and epileptic seizure frequency and antiepileptic drug (AED) use were determined for each patient. HRQOL of patients was compared to that of 89 healthy controls individually matched for age, sex, and educational level. RESULTS: As a group, patients with meningiomas did not differ from healthy controls on 7 out of 8 SF-36 scales; the only difference was that patients reported more role limitations caused by physical problems (P < .05). Patients with meningiomas had significant impairment in 4 of 6 cognitive domains, most pronounced in the domain of executive functioning. Both impaired cognitive functioning and AED use were associated with a compromised HRQOL. Of the 23 patients using AEDs, HRQOL was significantly impaired on 5 out of 8 SF-36 scales. In patients using AED, neither cognitive functioning nor HRQOL differed between those with and those without seizure control. CONCLUSION: The HRQOL of most patients with WHO Grade I meningiomas is comparable to that of the general population. However, HRQOL is worse in patients with major cognitive deficits and those using AEDs, irrespective of seizure control.