Abstract

The Covid-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on people's lives. One of these impacts can be verified in the diagnosis of other diseases, especially cancer. Problem: What was the impact on the diagnosis of new cases of cancer in the region covered by a pathology service in southern Brazil during the pandemic? General objective: To evaluate whether there was a decrease in the number of cancer diagnoses in a pathology service in southern Brazil during the pandemic. Methodology: We analyzed the case reports carried out in the Laboratories of the Infolaudo Group, during the initial months of the pandemic (April and May 2020) and compared with the same months of 2019, in order to measure the impact of the pandemic on the diagnosis of cancer in a Pathology Service in southern Brazil. Results: Comparing the periods of April and May 2019 with the same period in 2020, a 34.2% decrease in pathological procedures was noticed. Some types of cancer, such as colon, esophagus, breast and prostate, had a significant decrease in diagnoses, being 19.7%, 45%, 18.2% and 37.7%, respectively. Conclusion: With the closure of many clinics and clinics in the early stages of the pandemic, there was a decrease in cancer diagnoses in the laboratories surveyed.

Highlights

  • The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that by 2030 there will be 27 million new cases of cancer, 17 million deaths from the disease and 75 million people living with cancer around the world (INCA, 2020).Cancer is the leading cause of death in developed and developing countries (ALLGAR and NEAL, 2005)

  • The present article has as a guide question: What was the impact on the diagnosis of new cases of cancer in the region covered by a pathology service in southern Brazil during the pandemic? With the general objective of evaluating whether there was a decrease in the number of cancer diagnoses in a pathology service in southern Brazil during the pandemic

  • Delays in primary care may occur in the recognition, investigation and referral of cases with suspected malignant neoplasia (ASCO, 2020). primary care is the first point of contact for patients using national health services in several countries around the world, the delay in cancer diagnosis remains a continuous problem at this level (JONES et al, 2007).Primary care physicians are expected to identify patients with possible disease at an early stage

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Summary

Introduction

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that by 2030 there will be 27 million new cases of cancer, 17 million deaths from the disease and 75 million people living with cancer around the world (INCA, 2020).Cancer is the leading cause of death in developed and developing countries (ALLGAR and NEAL, 2005). Delays in the diagnosis of cancer can occur throughout the diagnosis, according to the levels of health care: patient, primary care and secondary care.Diagnoses in more advanced neoplastic diseases may occur when the patient is slow to recognize and act in relation to suspected symptoms (ASCO, 2020). This low awareness of early symptoms of cancer is considered the predominant reason for a late presentation, especially when the symptoms are of an atypical nature (ASCO, 2020). Another possible barrier may be related to the high demand for specialized medical services, and may eventually delay the diagnosis, especially in public services (INCA, 2020)

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