Michal Dvori1,2, Sarah Elitzur1,2, Assaf Barg2,3, Shlomit Barzilai-Birenboim1,2, Gil Gilad1,2, Shirah Amar1,2, Helen Toledano1,2, Amos Toren2,3, Sigal Weinreb4, Gal Goldstein4, Adi Shapira5, Shifra Ash5, Shai Izraeli1,2, Oded Gilad6,7. 1. Department of Hematology-Oncology, Schneider Children's Medical Center of Israel, 14 Kaplan street, Petach Tikva, Israel. 2. Sackler School of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel. 3. Department of Pediatric Hematology, Oncology and BMT, The Edmond and Lily Safra Children's Hospital, Sheba Medical Center, Ramat Gan, Israel. 4. Department of Hematology-Oncology, Hadassah Hebrew University Medical Center, Jerusalem, Israel. 5. Department of Pediatric Hematology-Oncology, Rambam Medical Center, and The Bruce Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel. 6. Department of Hematology-Oncology, Schneider Children's Medical Center of Israel, 14 Kaplan street, Petach Tikva, Israel. dkgsguss@gmail.com. 7. Sackler School of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel. dkgsguss@gmail.com.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: COVID-19, the novel coronavirus has caused a global pandemic affecting millions of people around the world. Although children, including children with cancer, have been found to be affected less commonly and less severely than adults, indirect effects of the pandemic on the diagnosis and treatment of children with cancer have been less described. METHODS: A survey was performed in the four largest tertiary pediatric hematology-oncology medical centers in Israel. Clinical and laboratory data were collected from the medical files of patients diagnosed or treated with cancer during April-October 2020. RESULTS: Seventeen patients are described, who had a significant delay in diagnosis or treatment of cancer. These represent approximately 10% of all pediatric cancer diagnosed during the study period in these centers. A main cause of delay was fear of exposure to COVID-19 (fears felt by the patient, parent, physician, or decision-makers at the institution; or the implementation of national guidelines). Delays also resulted from co-infection with COVID-19 and the attribution of the oncologic symptoms to the infection. In addition, treatment was delayed of patients already diagnosed with cancer, due to COVID-19 infection detected in the patient, a family member, or a bone marrow donor. CONCLUSION: Fear from the COVID-19 pandemic may result in delayed diagnosis and treatment of children with cancer, which may carry a risk to dismal prognosis. It is crucial that pediatricians and patients alike remember that other diseases still prevail and must be thought of and treated in a timely fashion.
BACKGROUND:COVID-19, the novel coronavirus has caused a global pandemic affecting millions of people around the world. Although children, including children with cancer, have been found to be affected less commonly and less severely than adults, indirect effects of the pandemic on the diagnosis and treatment of children with cancer have been less described. METHODS: A survey was performed in the four largest tertiary pediatric hematology-oncology medical centers in Israel. Clinical and laboratory data were collected from the medical files of patients diagnosed or treated with cancer during April-October 2020. RESULTS: Seventeen patients are described, who had a significant delay in diagnosis or treatment of cancer. These represent approximately 10% of all pediatric cancer diagnosed during the study period in these centers. A main cause of delay was fear of exposure to COVID-19 (fears felt by the patient, parent, physician, or decision-makers at the institution; or the implementation of national guidelines). Delays also resulted from co-infection with COVID-19 and the attribution of the oncologic symptoms to the infection. In addition, treatment was delayed of patients already diagnosed with cancer, due to COVID-19infection detected in the patient, a family member, or a bone marrow donor. CONCLUSION: Fear from the COVID-19 pandemic may result in delayed diagnosis and treatment of children with cancer, which may carry a risk to dismal prognosis. It is crucial that pediatricians and patients alike remember that other diseases still prevail and must be thought of and treated in a timely fashion.
Entities:
Keywords:
COVID-19; Delayed diagnosis; Delayed treatment; Pediatric cancer
Authors: Alissa R Kahn; Carla M Schwalm; Julie Ann Wolfson; Jennifer M Levine; Emily E Johnston Journal: Curr Oncol Rep Date: 2022-02-03 Impact factor: 5.945