Loading...
Elective endoscopic procedures have been broadly deferred during the COVID-19 pandemic. To better understand the effect of this procedure deferral on gastrointestinal cancer diagnoses, researchers in Hong Kong conducted a territory-wide analysis of endoscopy volume and gastric and colorectal cancer (CRC) diagnoses between October 2019 and March 2020, and during the same period in the preceding 3 years. They identified a turning point in endoscopy volume and cancer cases in late January 2020, when the first local COVID-19 case was diagnosed. Results were as follows:
After the turning point, the mean weekly number of upper endoscopies decreased by 51%, from 1813 to 887. The mean weekly number of gastric cancer diagnoses decreased corresponding…