Evaluation Of Bladder Cancer Care In Ontario, Canada During The Covid-19 Pandemic

Introduction The COVID-19 pandemic may have caused delays in care for patients with bladder cancer (BC). This study aims to investigate its impact on oncologic outcomes of BC in Ontario, Canada. Methods The Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences (ICES) databases were used as the data source. The patients were divided into 2 groups: pre-COVID era (January 1, 2016, to March 14, 2020) and the COVID era (March 15, 2020 to December 31, 2021). The study compared BC stage at diagnosis, surgical volumes, wait times, and overall survival (OS) between the groups. Results There were 17,760 patients included. No significant difference was found in the pathological stage and in the number of BC diagnoses between the two era groups. Patients in the COVID era underwent earlier transurethral resection of bladder tumor. Lastly, after a 2-year follow-up, there was no significant difference in OS rates. Conclusions Patients diagnosed with BC in Ontario during the pandemic did not have more advanced stages of cancer at the time of presentation or worse OS rates compared to those diagnosed before the pandemic. Furthermore, surgical volumes and wait times were not compromised during this period.