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Showing content from https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33253013/ below:

Impact of COVID-19 on Cancer Care: How the Pandemic Is Delaying Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment for American Seniors

doi: 10.1200/CCI.20.00134. Impact of COVID-19 on Cancer Care: How the Pandemic Is Delaying Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment for American Seniors

Affiliations

¹ Texas Oncology, Austin, TX.
² Florida Cancer Specialists & Research Institute LLC, Gainesville, FL.
³ Community Oncology Alliance, Monroe, CT.
⁴ Avalere Health, Washington, DC.

PMID: 33253013
PMCID: PMC7713534
DOI: 10.1200/CCI.20.00134

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Impact of COVID-19 on Cancer Care: How the Pandemic Is Delaying Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment for American Seniors

Debra Patt et al. JCO Clin Cancer Inform. 2020 Nov.

doi: 10.1200/CCI.20.00134. Affiliations

¹ Texas Oncology, Austin, TX.
² Florida Cancer Specialists & Research Institute LLC, Gainesville, FL.
³ Community Oncology Alliance, Monroe, CT.
⁴ Avalere Health, Washington, DC.

PMID: 33253013
PMCID: PMC7713534
DOI: 10.1200/CCI.20.00134

Item in Clipboard

Abstract

Purpose: While the immediate care and access disruptions associated with the COVID-19 pandemic have received growing attention in certain areas, the full range of gaps in cancer screenings and treatment is not yet well understood or well documented throughout the country comprehensively.

Methods: This study used a large medical claims clearinghouse database representing 5%-7% of the Medicare fee-for-service population to characterize changes in the utilization of cancer care services and gain insight into the impact of COVID-19 on the US cancer population, including identification of new patients, gaps in access to care, and disruption of treatment journeys.

Results: In March-July 2020, in comparison with the baseline period of March-July 2019, there is a substantial decrease in cancer screenings, visits, therapy, and surgeries, with variation by cancer type and site of service. At the peak of the pandemic in April, screenings for breast, colon, prostate, and lung cancers were lower by 85%, 75%, 74%, and 56%, respectively. Significant utilization reductions were observed in April for hospital outpatient evaluation and management (E&M) visits (-74%), new patient E&M visits (-70%), and established patient E&M visits (-60%). A decrease in billing frequency was observed for the top physician-administered oncology products, dropping in both April (-26%) and July (-31%). Mastectomies were reduced consistently in April through July, with colectomies similarly reduced in April and May and prostatectomies dipping in April and July.

Conclusion: The current impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on cancer care in the United States has resulted in decreases and delays in identifying new cancers and delivery of treatment. These problems, if unmitigated, will increase cancer morbidity and mortality for years to come.

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Conflict of interest statement

Impact of COVID-19 on Cancer Care: How the Pandemic Is Delaying Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment for American Seniors

The following represents disclosure information provided by authors of this manuscript. All relationships are considered compensated unless otherwise noted. Relationships are self-held unless noted. I = Immediate Family Member, Inst = My Institution. Relationships may not relate to the subject matter of this manuscript. For more information about ASCO’s conflict of interest policy, please refer to www.asco.org/rwc or ascopubs.org/cci/author-center .

Open Payments is a public database containing information reported by companies about payments made to US-licensed physicians ( Open Payments ).

Debra Patt

Employment: Texas Oncology, McKesson, MedNax

Leadership: McKesson, Mednax, Texas Oncology

Stock and Other Ownership Interests: Mednax

Consulting or Advisory Role: Pfizer, Roche, AstraZeneca

Research Funding: Merck, Eisai, Seattle Genetics, Lilly

Travel, Accommodations, Expenses: McKesson

Lucio Gordan

Employment: Florida Cancer Specialists

Leadership: Florida Cancer Specialists

Honoraria: Ameris Pharma

Consulting or Advisory Role: Janssen Oncology

Speakers' Bureau: Myriad Genetics

Lance Grady

Employment: Avalere

Stock and Other Ownership Interests: INOVALON

Merrill Harmison

Employment: Avalere Health

Anan Zhou

Employment: Avalere Health, Analysis Group

No other potential conflicts of interest were reported.

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