How the COVID-19 pandemic impacted the treatment pancreatic cancer patients

The ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), continues to affect the already overburdened healthcare system.

For example, the pandemic aggravated the cancer-related healthcare crisis, as most resources were reallocated to manage SARS-CoV-2-infected patients. As a result, the waiting time to obtain non-COVID-19-related healthcare services increased substantially.

Study: Healthcare in England was affected by the COVID-19 pandemic across the pancreatic cancer pathway: a cohort study using OpenSAFELY-TPP. Image Credit: Ground Picture / Shutterstock.com

Background

During the pandemic, patients’ behaviors towards seeking healthcare services changed, as they opted for social distancing to protect themselves. People were also very cautious about the unprecedented pressure on healthcare personnel during the pandemic, which led to widespread social distancing to limit the spread of SARS-CoV-2. These changes affected cancer patients, as they heavily depend on healthcare services.

The diagnosis of pancreatic cancer requires an efficient system, as it presents non-specific symptoms. Some of the symptoms associated with this type of cancer include diabetes, bile duct obstruction, weight loss, and hyperglycemia.

The timely assessment of glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), liver function, and body mass index (BMI) aids in the early diagnosis and monitoring of the disease progression. The tremendous pressure on the healthcare system during the pandemic resulted in cancer treatment delays, which invariably affected disease prognosis.

To mitigate these negative effects of the pandemic, the first step is to assess the scale of the impact. A new study published on the medRxiv* preprint server investigates the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on pancreatic cancer services in England.

About the study

One of the objectives of the current study was to assess the impact on a wide range of services, such as diagnostics, treatment, and outcomes. The authors determined the number of healthcare services that could be provided if the COVID-19 pandemic had not occurred. The pattern of recovery from the healthcare services, post-pandemic, was also assessed. 

Electronic healthcare records (EHR) of adults with pancreatic cancer, based in England, were analyzed. All participants were diagnosed between January 1, 2015, and September 30, 2022.

In this study, the nationally representative OpenSAFELY-TPP dataset was used, which consisted of records of 24 million people, which is approximately 40% of the population of England. OpenSAFELY is an analytical platform that addresses urgent COVID-19 research questions. 

Study findings

During the pandemic, several pancreatic cancer-related services were disrupted across the treatment pathway. This finding is consistent with a previous study that reported the adverse effect of the pandemic on healthcare services.

Healthcare assessments including BMI, HbA1c, and liver function were provided to a smaller number of patients as compared to pre-pandemic rates. This suggests that the COVID-19 pandemic affected the early…