The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the diagnosis and prognosis of melanoma 2 years after the pandemic in two Romanian counties.

Autor:	Apostu AP; Department of Dermatology, 'Iuliu Hațieganu' University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Cluj-Napoca, Romania.; Clinical Hospital of Infectious Diseases, Cluj Napoca, Romania., Vesa ȘC; Department of Pharmacology, Toxicology and Clinical Pharmacology, 'Iuliu Hațieganu' University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Cluj-Napoca, Romania., Frățilă S; Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, University of Oradea, Oradea, Romania.; Clinical Emergency County Hospital, Oradea, Romania., Iancu G; Department of Dermatology, Faculty of Medicine, 'Lucian Blaga' University of Sibiu, Sibiu, Romania.; Clinic of Dermatology, County Emergency Hospital Sibiu, Sibiu, Romania., Bejinariu N; Santomar Oncodiagnostic Laboratory, Cluj-Napoca, Romania., Muntean M; Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, 'Prof Dr. I. Chiricuță' Institute of Oncology, Cluj-Napoca, Romania., Șenilă SC; Department of Dermatology, 'Iuliu Hațieganu' University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Cluj-Napoca, Romania.; Department of Dermatology, Emergency County Hospital, Cluj-Napoca, Romania., Baba OA; Clinical Hospital of Infectious Diseases, Cluj Napoca, Romania., Secășan CP; Department of Dermatology, Emergency County Hospital, Cluj-Napoca, Romania., Ungureanu L; Department of Dermatology, 'Iuliu Hațieganu' University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Cluj-Napoca, Romania.; Department of Dermatology, Emergency County Hospital, Cluj-Napoca, Romania.
Jazyk:	angličtina
Zdroj:	Frontiers in medicine [Front Med (Lausanne)] 2024 Jan 23; Vol. 11, pp. 1328488. Date of Electronic Publication: 2024 Jan 23 (Print Publication: 2024).
DOI:	10.3389/fmed.2024.1328488
Abstrakt:	Background: The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the healthcare system and negatively affected the diagnosis and management of melanoma worldwide. The purpose of this study is to investigate the long-term effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the diagnosis and prognosis of melanoma. Materials and Methods: This retrospective cohort study included histopathologically confirmed melanoma cases from March 2019 to February 2023 in Cluj and Bihor counties. Data from the post-COVID-19 period (March 2021 to February 2023) were compared to the pre-COVID-19 period (March 2019 to February 2020) and the COVID-19 period (March 2020 to February 2021). Patient characteristics, monthly diagnostics, histological subtypes, and key histological features were analyzed using statistical tests. Results: The number of melanoma cases diagnosed annually decreased by 31.37 and 23.75% in the first and second post-pandemic years, respectively, compared to pre-pandemic numbers. Diagnostic rates also decreased by 14.9 and 5.4% in the first and second post-pandemic years, respectively, compared to the pandemic period. Prognostic factors worsened in the post-pandemic period, with higher Breslow index and mitotic rate, and increased ulceration and thick melanomas compared to the pre-pandemic period. Conclusion: The COVID-19 pandemic had a long-lasting impact on the diagnosis of melanoma in Romania, resulting in advanced stages and unfavorable prognostic factors. Larger global studies are needed to comprehensively understand the pandemic's long-term effects on the diagnosis of melanoma. Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest. (Copyright © 2024 Apostu, Vesa, Frățilă, Iancu, Bejinariu, Muntean, Șenilă, Baba, Secășan and Ungureanu.)
Databáze:	MEDLINE
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