Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Diagnosis of Oral Cancer in Brazil

Introduction: The identification and investigation of suspicious lesions in the oral cavity is crucial for the early diagnosis of oral cancer. The survival of diagnosed cases and the quality of life of the patients are directly affected by cancer treatment with a worse prognosis in advanced tumors....

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Atty, Adriana Tavares de Moraes, Tomazelli, Jeane, Dias, Maria Beatriz Kneipp, Ribeiro, Caroline Madalena
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Estado:Versión publicada
Fecha de publicación:2022
País:Brasil
Institución:Instituto Nacional de Câncer José Alencar Gomes da Silva (INCA)
Repositorio:Revista Brasileira de Cancerologia (Online)
Idioma:portugués
inglés
OAI Identifier:oai:rbc.inca.gov.br:article/2675
Acceso en línea:https://rbc.inca.gov.br/index.php/revista/article/view/2675
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:neoplasias bucais/diagnóstico
detecção precoce de câncer
saúde bucal
epidemiologia descritiva
COVID-19
mouth neoplasms/diagnosis
early detection of cancer
oral health
epidemiology, descriptive
neoplasias de la boca/diagnóstico
detección precoz del cáncer
salud bucal
epidemiología descriptiva
Descripción
Sumario:Introduction: The identification and investigation of suspicious lesions in the oral cavity is crucial for the early diagnosis of oral cancer. The survival of diagnosed cases and the quality of life of the patients are directly affected by cancer treatment with a worse prognosis in advanced tumors. Objective: To evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the performance of diagnostic procedures for oral cancer in Brazil. Method: Cross-sectional study with data from the SUS Outpatient Information System (SIA-SUS). The average of diagnostic procedures recorded monthly, half-yearly and annually in the pre-pandemic period (2016 a 2019) was compared, through the percentage variation, with the production recorded in the pandemic (2020). Results: There was a drop in diagnostic procedures for cancer of the lip and oral cavity in 2020 compared to the period 2016 to 2019, with the exception of the South and Midwest regions. The Northeast region had the highest negative percentage change (-26.2%) among the average of procedures performed between 2016 and 2019 compared to 2020. Rondônia and Goiás showed positive variations, 66.2% and 43.5%, respectively. The country recorded the biggest percentage reductions in April (-43.2%) and in May (-42.3%) 2020, returning to positive variation only in December (10.6%). And with the exception of the North region, the second half of 2020 was worse than the first. Conclusion: The pandemic had an impact on the performance of oral cancer diagnoses. The findings indicate the need for guidance to health professionals and the population on the urgency of the diagnosis of oral cancer.