ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: The current coronavirus pandemic caused a significant decrease in cancer-related encounters resulting in a delay in treatment of cancer patients. The objective of this study was to examine the survival effect of delay in starting concurrent chemo-radiotherapy (CCRT) in women with locally-advanced cervical cancer. METHODS: This is a retrospective observational study querying the National Cancer Database from 2004 to 2016. Women with stage IB2-IVA squamous cell carcinoma, adenocarcinoma, or adenosquamous carcinoma of the uterine cervix who received definitive CCRT with known wait-time for CCRT initiation after cancer diagnosis were eligible (N=13,617). Cox proportional hazard regression model with restricted cubic spline transformation was fitted to assess the association between CCRT wait-time and all-cause mortality in multivariable analysis. RESULTS: The median wait-time to start CCRT was 6 (IQR 4-8) weeks. In a multivariable analysis, older age, non-Hispanic black and Hispanic ethnicity, recent year of diagnosis, Medicaid and uninsured status, medical comorbidities, and absence of nodal metastasis were associated with longer CCRT wait-time (P<.05). Women with aggressive tumor factors (poorer differentiation, large tumor size, nodal metastasis, and higher cancer stage) were more likely to have a short CCRT wait-time (P<.05). After controlling for the measured covariates, CCRT wait-time of 6.1-9.8 weeks was not associated with increased risk of all-cause mortality compared to a wait-time of 6 weeks. Similar association was observed when the cohort was stratified by histology, cancer stage, tumor size, or brachytherapy use. CONCLUSION: An implication of this study for the current coronavirus pandemic is that in the absence of aggressive tumor factors, a short period of wait-time to start definitive CCRT may not be associated with increased risk of mortality in women with locally-advanced cervical cancer.
Subject(s)
Adenocarcinoma/therapy , COVID-19 , Carcinoma, Adenosquamous/therapy , Carcinoma, Squamous Cell/therapy , Time-to-Treatment , Uterine Cervical Neoplasms/therapy , Adenocarcinoma/secondary , Adult , Black or African American/statistics & numerical data , Age Factors , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , COVID-19/epidemiology , Carcinoma, Adenosquamous/secondary , Carcinoma, Squamous Cell/secondary , Chemoradiotherapy , Female , Hispanic or Latino/statistics & numerical data , Humans , Lymphatic Metastasis , Medicaid/statistics & numerical data , Medically Uninsured/statistics & numerical data , Middle Aged , Neoplasm Grading , Neoplasm Staging , Proportional Hazards Models , Race Factors , Retrospective Studies , SARS-CoV-2 , Survival Rate , Tumor Burden , United States , Uterine Cervical Neoplasms/pathologyABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: This case highlights challenges in the assessment and management of the "difficult airway" patient in the SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) pandemic era. METHODS: A 60-year-old male with history of recent transoral robotic surgery resection, free flap reconstruction, and tracheostomy for p16+ squamous cell carcinoma presented with stridor and dyspnea 1 month after decannulation. Careful planning by a multidisciplinary team allowed for appropriate staffing and personal protective equipment, preparations for emergency airway management, evaluation via nasopharyngolaryngoscopy, and COVID testing. The patient was found to be COVID negative and underwent imaging which revealed new pulmonary nodules and a tracheal lesion. RESULTS: The patient was safely transorally intubated in the operating room. The tracheal lesion was removed endoscopically and tracheostomy was avoided. CONCLUSIONS: This case highlights the importance of careful and collaborative decision making for the management of head and neck cancer and other "difficult airway" patients during the COVID-19 epidemic.