Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Incidence and Thickness of Cutaneous Melanoma in Belgium.

ABSTRACT: (1) Background: COVID-19 had a major impact on cancer diagnostics and treatment. Delays in diagnosis of cutaneous melanoma were particularly feared, given the impact on survival and morbidity that comes with advanced stages. Moreover, its incidence in Belgium has been rapidly increasing in recent decades. This Belgian population-level study quantifies the pandemic effect on the number of melanoma diagnoses and Breslow thickness in 2020 and 2021. (2) Methods: In using an automated algorithm, the number of cutaneous melanoma diagnoses and Breslow thickness were extracted from all pathology protocols from 2017-2021 by the Belgian Cancer Registry. Monthly variations, as well as year-to-year differences, were studied. (3) Results: Annual incidence of cutaneous melanoma fell by 1% in 2020, compa

SUBMITTER: Demaerel PG 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10295984 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature