Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Hospital Attendance of Patients with Primary Cervical Cancer in Heilongjiang, China

Background: Information regarding the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on cervical cancer in mainland China is lacking. We explored its impact on the hospital attendance of patients with primary cervical cancer.Methods: We included patients with primary cervical cancer who initially attended Harbin Medical University Cancer Hospital between Jan 23, 2019, and Jan 23, 2021.Findings: Attendance decreased by 31%, from 1135 in 2019 to 783 in 2020, mainly from Jan-Jun. Compared to Jan-Jun 2019, the percentage of patients detected by screening decreased from 12·1% in 2019 to 5·8% in 2020, and the proportion of patients with FIGO stages Ⅲ and Ⅳ in 2020 was 25-50% significantly higher than 16-29% in 2019. Waiting time for treatment was extended from eight days (median) to 16 days in Jan-Jun and 12 days in Jul-Dec. Of the 179 patients who delayed treatment, 164 (91·6%) were for the reasons of the healthcare providers. Compared to 2019, the number of patients in Harbin or non-Harbin in Heilongjiang Province and outside the province decreased. Interpretation: The initial attendance of patients with primary cervical cancer decreased sharply in the first five months of the COVID-19 pandemic. The number of screened cases decreased. The proportion of late-stage cases has increased. Delayed treatment is mainly due to reduced access to health services. Cross-regional medical treatment has been hindered. These results provide solid evidence that a strategy and mechanism for the effective attendance of cervical cancer patients in response to public health emergencies is urgently needed.Funding Information: This work was supported by the Postdoctoral Scientific Research Developmental Fund of Heilongjiang Province (LBH-Q17096), Haiyan Foundation of Harbin Medical University Cancer Hospital (JJZD2021- 16), and Beijing Science and Technology Innovation Medical Development Foundation (KC2021-JF 0055-10). The National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 81773368). The Fundamental Research Funds for Heilongjiang Provincial Department of Education (No. 2020-KYYWF-0037).Declaration of Interests: The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.Ethics Approval Statement: This study was conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki and approved by the Ethics Committee of Harbin Medical University Cancer Hospital.