Sestre Milosrdnice University hospital and Institute of Clinical Medical Research
Doi
Abstract
The aim of this study was to compare the number of biopsy and surgical procedures
on prostate, as well as the number of newly diagnosed, histologically confirmed cases of prostate cancer
during the COVID-19 pandemic at Zagreb University Hospital Center (UHC). We retrospectively
collected and processed a total of 1344 histopathologic findings of the prostate at the Zagreb UHC. Our
results show that during the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a statistically significant decrease in the
absolute number of biopsy and surgical procedures on prostate at Zagreb UHC, and so was the number
of newly diagnosed, histologically confirmed cases of prostate cancer. During the observed time of the
pandemic (March 19, 2020 to December 31, 2020), there was a 37.5% decrease in the absolute number
of newly diagnosed prostate cancer cases compared to the same period of the previous year (March 19,
2019 to December 31, 2019). To our knowledge, this is the first study of this kind that is based on the
number of prostate cancer diagnoses in Croatia. By observing the early period of the pandemic, our
results provide important guidelines for monitoring and understanding the long-term consequences of
the pandemic on the prostate cancer morbidity and mortality.Cilj ovoga istraživanja bio je usporediti broj biopsijskih i kirurških zahvata na prostati, kao i broj novodijagnosticiranih,
patohistološki potvrđenih slučajeva karcinoma prostate tijekom pandemije COVID-19 u Kliničkom bolničkom centru
Zagreb. Retrogradno smo prikupili i obradili ukupno 1344 patohistoloških nalaza prostate na Kliničkom zavodu za
patologiju i citologiju KBC-a Zagreb. Naši rezultati pokazuju da je tijekom pandemije COVID-19 došlo do statistički
značajnog pada apsolutnog broja biopsijskih i kirurških zahvata na prostati, kao i broja novodijagnosticiranih, patohistološki
potvrđenih slučajeva karcinoma prostate. Uočen je pad apsolutnog broja novodijagnosticiranih karcinoma prostate za 37,5%
u promatranom vremenu pandemije (od 19. ožujka do 31. prosinca 2020. godine) u odnosu na isto razdoblje u prethodnoj
godini (od 19. ožujka do 31. prosinca 2019. godine). Prema našim spoznajama ovo je prvo istraživanje ovakvog tipa temeljeno
na broju pretraga karcinoma prostate na području Republike Hrvatske. Promatrajući rano razdoblje pandemije naši rezultati
donose važne smjernice u budućem praćenju i dugoročnim posljedicama pandemije na pobol i smrtnost karcinoma prostate
