@misc{10481/92255,
year = {2024},
month = {3},
url = {https://hdl.handle.net/10481/92255},
abstract = {Since December 2019, the COVID-19 pandemic has
profoundly affected healthcare. The real effects of the
COVID-19 pandemic on skin cancer are still unclear,
more than 3 years later. This study aims to summarise
the pandemic’s impact on skin cancer diagnosis and
outcome. A systematic review and meta-analysis was
conducted, selecting studies comparing skin cancer
diagnosis
and prognosis post-pandemic with pre-pandemic
data. A total of 27 papers were reviewed including
102,263 melanomas and 271,483 keratinocyte
carcinomas. During the initial pandemic months (January–
July 2020), melanoma surgeries dropped by 29.7%
and keratinocyte carcinomas surgeries by 50.8%. Early
pandemic tumours exhibited greater thickness and
stage. In a long-term period beyond the initial months,
melanoma surgeries decreased by 9.3%, keratinocyte
carcinomas by 16.6%. No significant differences were
observed in the Breslow thickness of melanomas after
the start of the pandemic (mean difference 0.06, 95%
confidence interval –0.46, 0.58). Melanomas operated on
post-pandemic onset had an increased risk of ulceration
(odds ratio 1.35, 95% confidence interval 1.22–1.50).
Keratinocyte carcinomas showed increased thickness
and worsened stage post-pandemic. However,
studies
included were mostly retrospective and cross-sectional,
reporting diverse data. This review indicates that the
pandemic likely caused delays in skin cancer diagnosis
and treatment, potentially impacting patient outcomes.},
publisher = {MJS Publishing},
keywords = {Melanoma},
keywords = {Squamous cell carcinoma},
keywords = {Basal cell carcinoma},
title = {Effects of COVID-19 Pandemic on the Diagnosis of Melanoma and Keratinocyte Carcinomas: a Systematic Review and Meta-analysis},
doi = {10.2340/actadv.v104.19460},
author = {Díaz Calvillo, Pablo and Muñoz Barba, Daniel and Ureña Paniego, Clara Amanda and Maul, Lara Valeska and Cerminara, Sara and Kostner, Lisa and Martínez López, Antonio and Arias Santiago, Salvador Antonio},
}