Real-World Evidence of the Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Lung Cancer Survival: Canadian Perspective

Conclusions: This study is, to our knowledge, the largest single-institution study in Canada looking at lung cancer survival during the COVID-19 pandemic. Our study looks at overall survival in the advanced/metastatic setting of NSCLC during the COVID-19 pandemic. We have previously reported on treatment pattern changes and increased wait times for NSCLC patients during the pandemic. In this study, we report that the advanced/metastatic subgroup had both an increase in the 6-month mortality rate and worsening overall survival during this same time period. Although there was no statistical difference in the proportion of patients with advanced disease, there was a concerning trend of increased M1c disease in cohorts 2 and 3. The higher M1c disease during the COVID-19 pandemic (cohorts 2 and 3) likely played a crucial role in increasing the 6-month mortality rate and leading to a reduced overall survival of lung cancer patients during the pandemic. These findings are more likely to be better identified with longer follow-up.PMID:38534952 | PMC:PMC10969224 | DOI:10.3390/curroncol31030119

Source: Current Oncology - March 27, 2024 Category: Cancer & Oncology Authors: Jason Agulnik Goulnar Kasymjanova Carmela Pepe Jennifer Friedmann David Small Lama Sakr Hangjun Wang Alan Spatz Khalil Sultanem Victor Cohen Source Type: research