The Epidemiology of Malignant Melanoma during the First Two Years of the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Systematic Review

Ana-Olivia Toma, Mihaela Prodan (), Akash Reddy Reddyreddy, Edward Seclaman, Zorin Crainiceanu, Vlad Bloanca, Felix Bratosin, Catalin Dumitru, Ciprian Nicolae Pilut, Satish Alambaram, Neeharika Gayatri Vasamsetti, Luminita Decean and Marius Pricop
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Ana-Olivia Toma: Department of Microbiology, “Victor Babes” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Eftimie Murgu Square 2, 300041 Timisoara, Romania
Mihaela Prodan: Department of Plastic Surgery, “Victor Babes” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Eftimie Murgu Square 2, 300041 Timisoara, Romania
Akash Reddy Reddyreddy: School of General Medicine, Bhaskar Medical College, Amdapur Road 156-162, Hyderabad 500075, India
Edward Seclaman: Department of Biochemistry and Pharmacology, “Victor Babes” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Eftimie Murgu Square 2, 300041 Timisoara, Romania
Zorin Crainiceanu: Department of Plastic Surgery, “Victor Babes” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Eftimie Murgu Square 2, 300041 Timisoara, Romania
Vlad Bloanca: Department of Plastic Surgery, “Victor Babes” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Eftimie Murgu Square 2, 300041 Timisoara, Romania
Felix Bratosin: Methodological and Infectious Diseases Research Center, Department of Infectious Diseases, “Victor Babes” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 300041 Timisoara, Romania
Catalin Dumitru: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, “Victor Babes” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 300041 Timisoara, Romania
Ciprian Nicolae Pilut: Department of Microbiology, “Victor Babes” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Eftimie Murgu Square 2, 300041 Timisoara, Romania
Satish Alambaram: School of General Medicine, Bhaskar Medical College, Amdapur Road 156-162, Hyderabad 500075, India
Neeharika Gayatri Vasamsetti: Kaloji Narayana Rao University of Health Sciences, Nizampura, Warangal, Telangana 506007, India
Luminita Decean: Faculty of General Medicine, George Emil Palade University of Medicine, Pharmacy, Science and Technology, Strada Gheorghe Marinescu 38, 540139 Targu Mures, Romania
Marius Pricop: Discipline of Oral and Maxillo-Facial Surgery, Faculty of Dental Medicine, “Victor Babes” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Eftimie Murgu Square 2, 300041 Timisoara, Romania

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 20, issue 1, 1-15

Abstract: It is hypothesized that the COVID-19 pandemic had a major impact on the epidemiology of malignant melanoma owing to diminished screening, diagnostic, and treatment capacities, resulting in a more advanced stage at initial presentation. The goal of this study is to undertake a systematic analysis of all epidemiological and clinical data on the trends and patient outcomes with malignant melanoma during the ongoing pandemic. Records were identified from PubMed, Cochrane, and Web of Science, selecting a total of 39 articles, narrative reviews, and editorial letters, following the PRISMA guidelines. The vast majority of the studies were published in Europe (28/39), and North America (7/39). A total of 99,860 patients were analyzed during 2020 and 2021 of the COVID-19 pandemic, and it was observed that malignant melanoma TNM staging increased significantly compared to the pre-pandemic period. Before the pandemic, 25.88% of patients had TNM stage II or above, compared to 36.25% during 2020–2021. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the malignant melanoma Breslow depth index grew from 1.59 mm before 2020 to 1.86 mm in 2020 and 2021. Patients decreased by 19.58% in 2020 and 2021 compared to pre-pandemic numbers. The patient–loss ratio indicated lower screening activity and patient addressability to dermatology and plastic surgery departments with skin cancer concerns during the COVID-19 pandemic. This systematic study shows that the identification and management of malignant melanoma during the COVID-19 pandemic faced major challenges which should alert medical systems to the high number of patients with advanced disease stages who may need emergency treatment and become incurable.

Keywords: COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; oncology; malignant melanoma; skin cancer (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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