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@ARTICLE{Eckford:178974,
author = {R. Eckford$^*$ and A. Gaisser$^*$ and V. Arndt$^*$ and M.
Baumann$^*$ and E. Kludt$^*$ and K. Mehlis and J. Ubels$^*$
and E. C. Winkler and S. Weg-Remers$^*$ and M.
Schlander$^*$},
title = {{T}he {COVID}-19 {P}andemic and {C}ancer {P}atients in
{G}ermany: {I}mpact on {T}reatment, {F}ollow-{U}p {C}are and
{P}sychological {B}urden.},
journal = {Frontiers in Public Health},
volume = {9},
issn = {2296-2565},
address = {Lausanne},
publisher = {Frontiers Media},
reportid = {DKFZ-2022-00390},
pages = {788598},
year = {2022},
note = {#EA:C100#LA:C100#},
abstract = {In response to the ongoing coronavirus disease 2019
(COVID-19) pandemic, governments imposed various measures to
decrease the rate of disease spread, and health care policy
makers prioritized resource allocation to accommodate
COVID-19 patients. We conducted a cross-sectional online
survey in Germany (July 2020-June 2021) to assess the
frequency of changes to cancer care among cancer patients
and to explore the psychological impact of the pandemic writ
large. Cancer patients who contacted the Cancer Information
Service (Krebsinformationsdienst, KID) of the German Cancer
Research Center (Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum, DKFZ) via
email were invited to complete an online questionnaire,
capturing demographics, cancer specifics (e.g., type,
disease phase, primary place of treatment, etc.), and any
changes to their medical, follow-up, psycho-oncological or
nursing care. General level of psychological distress was
measured using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale
(HADS) along with face-validated items regarding worries and
social isolation specific to the pandemic. In total, $13\%$
of 621 patients reported a change to their treatment or care
plan. Of those patients with changes, the majority of
changes were made to follow-up care after treatment
$(56\%),$ to monitoring during treatment $(29\%)$ and to
psychological counseling $(20\%).$ Of the overall sample,
more than half of patients $(55\%)$ reported symptoms of
anxiety and $39\%$ reported symptoms of depression. Patients
with a change in cancer care were more likely to report
symptoms of depression than those with no change (AOR: 2.18;
$95\%$ CI: 1.26-3.76). Concern about the pandemic affecting
the quality of health care was a predictor of both anxiety
(AOR: 2.76; $95\%$ CI: 1.75-4.35) and depression (AOR: 2.15;
$95\%$ CI: 1.43-3.23). Results showed that the majority of
cancer patients in our study did not experience a change in
their cancer care. However, the level of anxiety and
psycho-social burden of cancer patients during the pandemic
was high throughout the study period. Our findings
underscore the need for health care services and policy
makers to assess and to attend cancer patients' medical
needs, with added emphasis on patients' psychological and
social well-being. This applies particularly in situations
where the healthcare system is strained and prioritization
is necessary.},
keywords = {COVID-19 (Other) / anxiety (Other) / cancer care (Other) /
changes in treatment (Other) / depression (Other) / health
care management (Other)},
cin = {C100 / M100 / C071 / M110 / E220},
ddc = {610},
cid = {I:(DE-He78)C100-20160331 / I:(DE-He78)M100-20160331 /
I:(DE-He78)C071-20160331 / I:(DE-He78)M110-20160331 /
I:(DE-He78)E220-20160331},
pnm = {313 - Krebsrisikofaktoren und Prävention (POF4-313)},
pid = {G:(DE-HGF)POF4-313},
typ = {PUB:(DE-HGF)16},
pubmed = {pmid:35223757},
pmc = {pmc:PMC8865576},
doi = {10.3389/fpubh.2021.788598},
url = {https://inrepo02.dkfz.de/record/178974},
}