Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Melanoma Diagnosis: Increased Breslow Thickness in Primary Melanomas—A Single Center Experience

Jelena Jeremić (), Branko Suđecki, Kristina Radenović, Jovan Mihaljević, Ivan Radosavljević, Milan Jovanović, Nataša Milić, Vedrana Pavlović, Dimitrije Brašanac and Marko Jović
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Jelena Jeremić: Department of Plastic Surgery, Clinic for Burns, Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, University Clinical Center of Serbia, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia
Branko Suđecki: Department of Plastic Surgery, Clinic for Burns, Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, University Clinical Center of Serbia, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia
Kristina Radenović: Department of Plastic Surgery, Clinic for Burns, Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, University Clinical Center of Serbia, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia
Jovan Mihaljević: Department of Plastic Surgery, Clinic for Burns, Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, University Clinical Center of Serbia, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia
Ivan Radosavljević: Department of Plastic Surgery, Clinic for Burns, Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, University Clinical Center of Serbia, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia
Milan Jovanović: Department of Plastic Surgery, Clinic for Burns, Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, University Clinical Center of Serbia, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia
Nataša Milić: Institute for Medical Statistics and Informatics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Belgrade, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia
Vedrana Pavlović: Institute for Medical Statistics and Informatics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Belgrade, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia
Dimitrije Brašanac: Faculty of Medicine, University of Belgrade, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia
Marko Jović: Department of Plastic Surgery, Clinic for Burns, Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, University Clinical Center of Serbia, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 24, 1-13

Abstract: Early melanoma diagnosis plays a key role in ensuring best prognosis with good survival rates. The ongoing global COVID-19 pandemic has greatly impacted global and national healthcare systems, thus making it a real challenge. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of the pandemic on diagnostic delay in melanoma patients in Serbia. In this retrospective study, we included patients treated at the university hospital in Serbia’s capitol over a period of five years and three months. We compared the prepandemic (01/JAN/17-14/MAR/20) and pandemic periods (15/MAR/20-31/MAR/22) by evaluating patient demographic data, melanoma subtype, Breslow thickness, Clark level, ulceration status, mitotic index rate and pT staging. We observed a significant reduction in the number of diagnosed patients (86.3 vs. 13.7%; p = 0.036), with melanomas having an increased median Breslow thickness (1.80 vs. 3.00; p = 0.010), a higher percentage of Clark IV–V level lesions (44.0% vs. 63.0%; p = 0.009), an increase in median mitotic index rate (2 vs. 5; p < 0.001) and a trend of increase in lesions thicker than 2 mm (37.8% vs. 53.7%; p = 0.026). We believe that this study can be a useful scenario guide for future similar events, highlighting the importance of preventive measures and timely diagnosis for the best patient outcomes.

Keywords: COVID-19; restrictions; melanoma; Breslow thickness; diagnostic delay (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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