RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Prostate Cancer Diagnosis and Management During One Year of the COVID-19 Pandemic
JF Anticancer Research
JO Anticancer Res
FD International Institute of Anticancer Research
SP 3127
OP 3130
DO 10.21873/anticanres.15097
VO 41
IS 6
A1 PEPE, PIETRO
A1 PEPE, LUDOVICA
A1 PENNISI, MICHELE
A1 FRAGGETTA, FILIPPO
YR 2021
UL http://ar.iiarjournals.org/content/41/6/3127.abstract
AB Background/Aim: To evaluate the diagnosis and treatment of prostate cancer (PCa) during 1 year of the COVID-19 pandemic. Patients and Methods: The management of men with PCa during COVID-19 pandemic (March 2020-2021) was compared with the clinical activity of the 12 months before the COVID-19 pandemic (March 2019-2020). Results: The number of clinical visits, prostate biopsy, and men enrolled in active surveillance was significantly lower during the COVID-19 pandemic (p<0.05); on the contrary, the number of cases with advanced (pT3b: 11.2 vs. 25.6%; nodal positive: 14.8 vs. 46.1%) and metastatic (5.9 vs. 9.3%) PCa increased. The number of open radical prostatectomies increased compared with the ones using a laparoscopic approach; moreover, more men were treated with external radiotherapy (25.1 vs. 54.2%). Conclusion: The guideline recommendations in the management of PCa should constantly adapt to the epidemiological evolution, but the overall cost of delayed diagnosis will increase in the near future.