CovidNeuroOnc: A UK multicenter, prospective cohort study of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the neuro-oncology service

TY - JOUR

T1 - CovidNeuroOnc

T2 - A UK multicenter, prospective cohort study of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the neuro-oncology service

AU - Fountain, Daniel M.

AU - Piper, Rory J.

AU - Poon, Michael T. C.

AU - Solomou, Georgios

AU - Brennan, Paul M.

AU - Chowdhury, Yasir A.

AU - Colombo, Francesca

AU - Elmoslemany, Tarek

AU - Ewbank, Frederick G.

AU - Grundy, Paul L.

AU - Hasan, Md T.

AU - Hilling, Molly

AU - Hutchinson, Peter J.

AU - Karabatsou, Konstantina

AU - Kolias, Angelos G.

AU - McSorley, Nathan J.

AU - Millward, Christopher P.

AU - Phang, Isaac

AU - Plaha, Puneet

AU - Price, Stephen J.

AU - Rominiyi, Ola

AU - Sage, William

AU - Shumon, Syed

AU - Silva, Ines L.

AU - Smith, Stuart J.

AU - Surash, Surash

AU - Thomson, Simon

AU - Lau, Jun Y.

AU - Watts, Colin

AU - Jenkinson, Michael D.

N1 - © The Author(s) 2021. Published by Oxford University Press, the Society for Neuro-Oncology and the European Association of Neuro-Oncology.

PY - 2021/1/28

Y1 - 2021/1/28

N2 - Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has profoundly affected cancer services. Our objective was to determine the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on decision making and the resulting outcomes for patients with newly diagnosed or recurrent intracranial tumors.Methods: We performed a multicenter prospective study of all adult patients discussed in weekly neuro-oncology and skull base multidisciplinary team meetings who had a newly diagnosed or recurrent intracranial (excluding pituitary) tumor between 01 April and 31 May 2020. All patients had at least 30-day follow-up data. Descriptive statistical reporting was used.Results: There were 1357 referrals for newly diagnosed or recurrent intracranial tumors across 15 neuro-oncology centers. Of centers with all intracranial tumors, a change in initial management was reported in 8.6% of cases (n = 104/1210). Decisions to change the management plan reduced over time from a peak of 19% referrals at the start of the study to 0% by the end of the study period. Changes in management were reported in 16% (n = 75/466) of cases previously recommended for surgery and 28% of cases previously recommended for chemotherapy (n = 20/72). The reported SARS-CoV-2 infection rate was similar in surgical and non-surgical patients (2.6% vs. 2.4%, P > .9).Conclusions: Disruption to neuro-oncology services in the UK caused by the COVID-19 pandemic was most marked in the first month, affecting all diagnoses. Patients considered for chemotherapy were most affected. In those recommended surgical treatment this was successfully completed. Longer-term outcome data will evaluate oncological treatments received by these patients and overall survival.

AB - Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has profoundly affected cancer services. Our objective was to determine the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on decision making and the resulting outcomes for patients with newly diagnosed or recurrent intracranial tumors.Methods: We performed a multicenter prospective study of all adult patients discussed in weekly neuro-oncology and skull base multidisciplinary team meetings who had a newly diagnosed or recurrent intracranial (excluding pituitary) tumor between 01 April and 31 May 2020. All patients had at least 30-day follow-up data. Descriptive statistical reporting was used.Results: There were 1357 referrals for newly diagnosed or recurrent intracranial tumors across 15 neuro-oncology centers. Of centers with all intracranial tumors, a change in initial management was reported in 8.6% of cases (n = 104/1210). Decisions to change the management plan reduced over time from a peak of 19% referrals at the start of the study to 0% by the end of the study period. Changes in management were reported in 16% (n = 75/466) of cases previously recommended for surgery and 28% of cases previously recommended for chemotherapy (n = 20/72). The reported SARS-CoV-2 infection rate was similar in surgical and non-surgical patients (2.6% vs. 2.4%, P > .9).Conclusions: Disruption to neuro-oncology services in the UK caused by the COVID-19 pandemic was most marked in the first month, affecting all diagnoses. Patients considered for chemotherapy were most affected. In those recommended surgical treatment this was successfully completed. Longer-term outcome data will evaluate oncological treatments received by these patients and overall survival.

KW - brain tumor

KW - COVID-19

KW - intracranial tumor

KW - neuro-oncology

KW - SARS-CoV-2

U2 - 10.1093/noajnl/vdab014

DO - 10.1093/noajnl/vdab014

M3 - Article

C2 - 34056602

SN - 2632-2498

VL - 3

JO - Neuro-oncology advances

JF - Neuro-oncology advances

IS - 1

M1 - vdab014

ER -