Limited impact of COVID-19-related diagnostic delay on cutaneous melanoma and squamous cell carcinoma tumour characteristics: a nationwide pathology registry analysis.

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic reduced the number of skin cancer diagnoses, potentially causing a progression to unfavourable tumour stages. OBJECTIVES: To identify the impact of delayed diagnostics on primary invasive melanoma and cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC) by comparing tumour (pT) stage, Breslow thickness and invasion depth from before to after the first and second lockdown periods. METHODS: In this population-based cohort study, histopathology reports registered between 1 January 2018 and 22 July 2021 were obtained from the nationwide histopathology registry in the Netherlands. The Breslow thickness of melanomas, invasion depth of cSCCs, and pT stage for both tumour types were compared across five time periods: (i) pre-COVID, (ii) first lockdown, (iii) between first and second lockdowns, (iv) second lockdown and (v) after second lockdown. Breslow thickness was compared using an independent t-test. pT-stage groups were compared using a χ2 -test. Outcomes were corrected for multiple testing using the false discovery rate. RESULTS: In total, 20 434 primary invasive melanomas and 68 832 cSCCs were included in this study. The mean primary melanoma Breslow thickness of the prepandemic era (period i) and the following time periods (ii-v) showed no significant difference. A small shift was found towards unfavourable pT stages during the first lockdown compared with the pre-COVID period: pT1 52·3% vs. 58·6%, pT2 18·9% vs. 17·8%, pT3 13·2% vs. 11·0%, pT4 9·1% vs. 7·3% (P = 0·001). No relevant changes were seen in subsequent periods. No significant change in pT stage distribution was observed between the pre-COVID (i) and COVID-affected periods (ii-v) for cSCCs. CONCLUSIONS: To date, the diagnostic delay caused by COVID-19 has not resulted in relatively more unfavourable primary tumour characteristics of melanoma or cSCC. Follow-up studies in the coming years are needed to identify a potential impact on staging distribution and survival in the long term.

Process evaluation of a multicentre randomised clinical trial of substituting surgical excisions of low-risk basal cell carcinomas from secondary to primary care.

OBJECTIVES: In 2016, the SKINCATCH Trial, a clustered multi-centre randomised trial, was initiated to assess whether low-risk basal cell carcinomas (BCCs) can be treated by general practitioners (GPs) without loss of quality of care. The trial intervention consisted of a tailored 2-day educational course on skin cancer management. The aim of this process evaluation was to investigate GPs' exposure to the intervention, implementation of the intervention and experiences with the intervention and trial. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: Data on exposure to the intervention, implementation and experiences were obtained at several points during the trial. Complementary quantitative components (ie, surveys, database analysis, medical record analysis) and qualitative components (ie, interviews and focus groups) were used. Quantitative data were analysed using descriptive statistics; qualitative data were summarised (barrier interviews) or audiorecorded, transcribed verbatim and thematically analysed using Atlas.Ti (focus groups). RESULTS: Following a 100% intervention exposure, results concerning the implementation of the trial showed that aside from the low inclusion rate of patients with low-risk BCCs (n=54), even less excisions of low-risk BCCs were performed (n=40). Although the intervention was experienced as highly positive, several barriers were mentioned regarding the trial including administrative challenges, lack of time and high workload of GPs, low volume of BCC patients and patients declining to participate or requesting a referral to a dermatologist. CONCLUSIONS: Although GPs' participation in the highly valued training was optimal, several barriers may have contributed to the low inclusion and excision rate of low-risk BCCs. While some of the issues were trial-related, other barriers such as low patient-volume and patients requesting referrals are applicable outside the trial setting as well. This may question the feasibility of substitution of surgical excisions of low-risks BCCs from secondary to primary care in the current Dutch setting. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: Trial NL5631 (NTR5746).

Assessment of Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinoma (cSCC) In situ Incidence and the Risk of Developing Invasive cSCC in Patients With Prior cSCC In situ vs the General Population in the Netherlands, 1989-2017.

Importance: The incidence rates of keratinocyte cancer are increasing globally; however, the incidence rates of cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC) in situ and the risk of developing subsequent invasive cSCC remain unknown. Objective: To estimate annual population-based age-standardized incidence rates of histopathologically confirmed cSCC in situ stratified by sex, age, and body site and to assess the risk of developing invasive cSCC among patients with cSCC in situ compared with the general population. Design, Setting, and Participants: This nationwide epidemiological population-based cohort study used cancer registry data to identify all patients with a first incident of histopathologically confirmed cSCC in situ between January 1, 1989, and December 31, 2017. In addition, all patients with cSCC in situ who subsequently had a first incident of invasive cSCC were identified up to June 11, 2019. Data were analyzed between March 18 and November 12, 2019. Main Outcomes and Measures: Age-standardized incidence rates per year for cSCC in situ, standardized to the 2013 edition of the European Standard Population, were calculated by sex, age, and body site. Cumulative risks, standardized incidence ratios, and absolute excess risks were calculated to assess the risk of invasive cSCC in patients with cSCC in situ compared with the general population. Results: In this population-based cohort study of 88 754 patients with a first incident of cSCC in situ between January 1, 1989, and December 31, 2017, 58.8% were women; the median age was 75 years (interquartile range [IQR], 67-82 years) for women and 73 years (IQR, 65-80 years) for men. Increasing incidence rates were observed, with the highest incidence rates in 2017 among women in general (71.7 cases per 100 000 person-years) and among men 80 years and older (540.9 cases per 100 000 person-years). The most common body site among women was the face (15.9 cases per 100 000 person-years) and among men was the scalp and/or neck (12.3 cases per 100 000 person-years). After 5 years of follow-up, among patients with cSCC in situ, the cumulative risk of developing an invasive cSCC at any anatomic location was 11.7% (95% CI, 11.6%-11.9%) in men and 6.9% (95% CI, 6.8%-7.0%) in women (P < .001). The standardized incidence ratio was highest in the first year of follow-up among both men (16.6; 95% CI, 15.7-17.5) and women (15.1; 95% CI, 14.2-16.1). Conclusions and Relevance: This study reports the first nationwide incidence rates of cSCC in situ to date. The increasing incidence rates of cSCC in situ and the high risk of developing invasive cSCC among patients with cSCC in situ may increase the health care burden associated with precursors of keratinocyte cancer and highlight the need to include cutaneous skin cancer precursor lesions when exploring policies to address skin cancer care.

Increasing Costs of Skin Cancer due to Increasing Incidence and Introduction of Pharmaceuticals, 2007-2017.

Skin cancer is the most common type of cancer and its incidence is increasing. The objective of this study was to describe the trends in reimbursed drug and hospital costs of benign and (pre)malignant skin tumours, and to present future projections. Therefore, nationwide hospital and drug reimbursement data (for the period 2007-17) were used. In 2017, malignant skin tumours were the 4th most costly cancer in the Netherlands (after breast, colorectal, and lung cancer). The total costs for skin tumours increased from €278 million for 384,390 patients (in 2007) to €465 million for 578,355 patients (in 2017). Drug costs increased from €0.7 million to €121 million (over the period 2007-17), resulting in a 26% share of overall costs in 2017. Future costs are projected to reach €1.35 billion in 2030. In conclusion, the increasing costs of skin cancer are strongly affected by the increasing incidence and introduction of expensive drugs, and future projections are for an alarming increase.

Breast implants and the risk of breast cancer: a meta-analysis of cohort studies.

BACKGROUND: The popularity of cosmetic breast augmentation and the incidence of breast cancer have been increasing worldwide. It has been hypothesized that the risk of breast cancer may be greater among patients who have undergone cosmetic breast implantation. OBJECTIVES: The authors performed a meta-analysis of the available literature on the risk of breast cancer among women with cosmetic breast implants. METHODS: The study was designed as a meta-analysis of observational studies. A systematic search of the English literature (published by August 28, 2013) was conducted in PubMed and EMBASE. Eligible reports were those that included relative risk (RR; the increased or decreased risk of breast cancer associated with breast implants) or the standardized incidence ratio (SIR) of the observed number of cases of breast cancer to the expected number of cases among patients that previously underwent cosmetic breast augmentation. RESULTS: Seventeen studies representing 7 cohorts were selected. Some of these were follow-up reports of previously published studies; in such cases, only the most recent reports were included in the meta-analysis. Summary SIR and RR rates and the corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated with a random-effects (SIR) or fixed-effects (RR) model. The overall SIR estimate was 0.69 (95% CI, 0.56-0.85), and the overall RR, based on 4 studies, was 0.63 (95% CI, 0.56-0.71). CONCLUSIONS: Finding of this meta-analysis suggest that women who have undergone cosmetic breast implantation do not have an increased risk of breast cancer.

Pathologic Findings in Primary Capsulectomy Specimens: Analysis of 2531 Patients.

BACKGROUND: After breast augmentation, additional operations are often needed for revision or explantation. Although the surgeon may elect to leave the capsule in situ during these procedures, excised capsule tissue may be examined histopathologically for cancer cells. OBJECTIVES: The authors assessed pathologic findings from breast implant capsules submitted for histopathologic examination and evaluated whether it is oncologically safe to leave capsule tissue in situ. METHODS: The authors searched PALGA, the nationwide histopathology and cytopathology data network and registry in the Netherlands, for primary capsulectomy specimens excised between 2003 and 2012. The authors applied a sensitive search strategy with low specificity that included female and breast as the sex and anatomic location keywords, and wildcards were used to detect different spellings. Cases were excluded if previous examinations showed compatibility with a history of breast cancer, prophylactic mastectomy, or prophylactic oophorectomy. The pathologic reports were manually reviewed for relevance, and each case's diagnosis was registered. A total of 6803 reports were available, representing 4948 patients; 2574 reports from 2531 patients were included in this study. The median age of patients was 51.2 ± 12.0 years (range, 15-88 years). RESULTS: Invasive carcinoma was detected in 4 patients (0.16%). Four patients (0.16%) had ductal carcinoma in situ, and 1 patient (0.04%) had lobular carcinoma in situ. Metaplasia was noted in 51 patients (2.0%), calcifications in 375 (14.6%), and silicone in 701 (27.2%). CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of occult invasive or in situ carcinoma in capsulectomy specimens of patients with no previous breast pathology is low. Therefore, it appears oncologically safe to leave capsule tissue in situ. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 3.