Health Economic Consequences Associated With COVID-19–Related Delay in Melanoma Diagnosis in Europe

作者：Lara Valeska Maul, Dagmar Jamiolkowski, Rebecca A. Lapides, Alina Miriam Mueller, Axel Hauschild, Claus Garbe, Paul Lorigan, Jeffrey E. Gershenwald, Paolo A. Ascierto, Georgina V. Long, Michael Evers, Richard A. Scolyer, Babak Saravi, Matthias Augustin, Alexander A. Navarini, Stefan Legge, István Balázs Németh, Á.J. Jánosi, Simone Mocellin, Anita Feller, Dieter Manstein, Alexander Zink, Julia‐Tatjana Maul, Alessandra Buja, Kaustubh Adhikari, Elisabeth Roider · 发表于：JAMA Network Open · 年份：2024 · DOI：10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.56479 · 被引用次数：16 · 研究领域：Cutaneous Melanoma Detection and Management、COVID-19 and healthcare impacts、Infection Control and Ventilation

Importance: The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in delayed access to medical care. Restrictions to health care specialists, staff shortages, and fear of SARS-CoV-2 infection led to interruptions in routine care, such as early melanoma detection; however, premature mortality and economic burden associated with this postponement have not been studied yet. Objective: To determine the premature mortality and economic costs associated with suspended melanoma screenings during COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns by estimating the total burden of delayed melanoma diagnoses for Europe. Design, Setting, and Participants: This multicenter economic evaluation used population-based data from patients aged at least 18 years with invasive primary cutaneous melanomas stages I to IV according to the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) seventh and eighth editions, including melanomas of unknown primary (T0). Data were collected from January 2017 to December 2021 in Switzerland and from January 2019 to December 2021 in Hungary. Data were used to develop an estimation of melanoma upstaging rates in AJCC stages, which was verified with peripandemic data. Years of life lost (YLL) were calculated and were, together with cost data, used for financial estimations. The total financial burden was assessed through direct and indirect treatment costs. Models were building using data from 50 072 patients aged 18 years and older with invasive primary cutaneous melanomas stages I to IV according to the AJCC seven...