444P - Incidence of cancer diagnosis and cancer care before and after the COVID-19 pandemic in French Polynesia TEAHUPOO study

Background

Cancer care in French Polynesia has been deprioritized during severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS CoV2) pandemic due to the urgent necessity to reorganize health care systems to fight this crisis and patients (pts) were more reluctant to visit medical doctors, fearful about exposure to the virus or not wanting to disturb a saturated health system.

Methods

We aimed to assess the incidence of cancer diagnosis and cancer care during the Covid-19 period compared to the same period in 2019 (before covid) and in 2021 (after covid). We retrospectively collected data from January 2019 to Sept 2021 regarding pts visits, treatments (ttt) administrations in oncology and radiotherapy outpatient wards, at the Taaone university hospital center of French Polynesia.

Results

Regarding the newly diagnosed pts, we observed a decreased of 13.6% on oncology visits from January to Sept 2020 compared to the same period in 2019 and an increase of oncology visits after the first wave with +14.2%, from January to Sept 2021 compared to 2020. We did not observe any major impact of the crisis on ttt administrations in oncology outpatients. There was a +1.3% of activity from January to Sept 2020 compared to 2019 and a +1.5% from January to Sept 2021 compare to 2020. Regarding the radiotherapy activity, the newly diagnosed pts visits increased of +2.5% from January to Sept 2020 compared to the same period in 2019 and +21% from January to Sept 2021 compared to the same period in 2020. The ttts in radiotherapy outpatient wards decreased of -11% in 2020 (from January to Sept 2020 compared to 2019) and increased of +11% in 2021.

Conclusions

The covid 19 crisis had an impact in French Polynesia on the oncology and radiotherapy visit of the newly diagnosed patients, with more patients diagnosed after covid; while ttt administrations in oncology and radiotherapy stayed stable.

Clinical trial identification

Editorial acknowledgement

Legal entity responsible for the study

The authors.

Funding

Has not received any funding.

Disclosure

All authors have declared no conflicts of interest.