(P 203) IMPACT OF COVID-19 PANDEMIC ON BONE AND SOFT TISSUE SARCOMA PATIENTS' CONSULTATION AND DIAGNOSIS

Author(s)

Makoto Endo, MD, PhD (he/him/his)

Lecturer
Kyushu University
Fukuoka, Fukuoka, Japan

Co-Author(s)

RO

Ryunosuke Oyama, MD

Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University
Fukuoka, Fukuoka, Japan
Eijiro Shimada, MD, PhD (he/him/his)

Postdoctoral scholar
Duke University
Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States
TM

Tomoya Matsunobu, MD, PhD

Kyushu Rosai Hospital
Kitakyushu, Fukuoka, Japan
NS

Nokitaka Setsu, MD, PhD

Kyushu Cancer Center
Fukuoka, Fukuoka, Japan
SI

Shin Ishihara, MD, PhD

University of British Columbia
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
MK

Masaya Kanahori, MD

Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University
Fukuoka, Fukuoka, Japan
KK

Kengo Kawaguchi, MD, PhD

Kyushu University
Fukuoka, Fukuoka, Japan
TH

Takeshi Hirose, MD, PhD

Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
New York, New York, United States
AN

Akira Nabeshima, MD, PhD

Kyushu University
Fukuoka, Fukuoka, Japan
TF

Toshifumi Fujiwara, MD, PhD

Kyushu University
Fukuoka, Fukuoka, Japan
MY

Masato Yoshimoto, MD, PhD

Kyushu Rosai Hospital
Kitakyushu, Fukuoka, Japan
AM

Akira Maekawa, MD, PhD

Kyushu Rosai Hospital
Kitakyushu, Fukuoka, Japan
MH

Masuo Hanada, MD, PhD

Kyushu Rosai Hospital
Kitakyushu, Fukuoka, Japan
NY

Nobuhiko Yokoyama, MD, PhD

Kyushu University
Fukuoka, Fukuoka, Japan
YM

Yoshihiro Matsumoto, MD, PhD

Fukushima Medical University
Fukushima, Fukushima, Japan
Yasuharu Nakashima, MD/PhD (he/him/his)

professor
Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University
Fukuoka, Fukuoka, Japan

Objective: The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic and state of emergency declaration might have negatively affected the diagnosis and treatment of several cancer types. However, this pandemic's exact impact and extent on bone and soft tissue sarcomas have not been clarified. This study aimed to investigate the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic and state of emergency declaration on consultation behavior and clinical stage at diagnosis of bone and soft tissue sarcoma.

Methods: This study was a multicenter, retrospective, observational study conducted in the KUEST (Kyushu United for Exploration of Sarcoma Treatment) group, comprising three sarcoma treatment hospitals in the Fukuoka area in Japan. The period before the COVID-19 pandemic was defined as January 2018 to February 2020; during the COVID-19 pandemic, it was defined as March 2020 to December 2021. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the government declared a state of emergency five times in the Fukuoka area. The numbers of new patients with bone and soft tissue sarcoma per month were compared before and during the COVID-19 pandemic or the state of emergency declaration period using a Poisson regression model.

Results: A total of 403 patients diagnosed with bone and soft tissue sarcoma who initially visited our hospitals between January 2018 and December 2021 were included. The monthly number of newly diagnosed primary bone and soft tissue sarcoma cases was significantly decreased by 43% during the state of emergency declaration (6.9 vs. 3.9; p< 0.001). Furthermore, the monthly number of new primary soft tissue sarcoma cases was reduced by 25% during the COVID-19 pandemic compared to before the COVID-19 pandemic (6.0 vs. 4.5; p=0.020), especially for painless soft tissue sarcoma cases (4.5 vs. 3.1; p=0.014). The proportion of patients with stage IV disease at diagnosis significantly increased by 9% during the COVID-19 pandemic (10 vs. 19%. p=0.032).

Conclusion: The COVID-19 pandemic and state of emergency declaration had a negative impact on bone and soft tissue sarcoma patients’ consultation behavior, especially for those with painless soft tissue sarcoma. Furthermore, it increased the proportion of the advanced stage at diagnosis.