Tohoku J. Exp. Med., 2023 February, 259(4)
A Follow-up Report on the Diagnosis of Gastrointestinal Cancer during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Akita Prefecture, Japan in 2021
Katsunori Iijima,1 Yosuke Shimodaira,1 Kenta Watanabe,1 Shigeto Koizumi,1 Tamotsu Matsuhashi,1 Mario Jin,2 Masahito Miura,3 Kengo Onochi,3 Kiyonori Yamai,4 Yuko Fujishima,5 Takuma Ajimine,6 Hidehiko Tsuda,7 Tsuyotoshi Tsuji,8 Hiro-o Matsushita,9 Yohei Horikawa,10 Takahiro Dohmen11 and Hiroyuki Shibata12,13
1Department of Gastroenterology, Akita University Graduate School of Medicine, Akita, Akita, Japan
2Akita Foundation for Healthcare, Akita, Akita, Japan
3Department of Gastroenterology, Omagari Kosei Medical Center, Daisen, Akita, Japan
4Department of Gastroenterology, Odate Municipal General Hospital, Odate, Akita, Japan
5Department of Gastroenterology, Noshiro Kosei Medical Center, Noshiro, Akita, Japan
6Department of Gastroenterology, Northern Akita Municipal Hospital, Kita-Akita, Akita, Japan
7Department of Gastroenterology, Akita Kousei Medical Center, Akita, Akita, Japan
8Department of Gastroenterology, Akita City Hospital, Akita, Akita, Japan
9Digestive Disease Center, Akita Red Cross Hospital, Akita, Akita, Japan
10Department of Gastroenterology, Hiraka General Hospital, Yokote, Akita, Japan
11Department of Gastroenterology, Yuri Kumiai General Hospital, Yurihonjo, Akita, Japan
12Department of Clinical Oncology, Akita University Graduate School of Medicine, Akita, Akita, Japan
13Center for Cancer Registry and Information Services, Akita University Graduate School of Medicine, Akita, Akita, Japan
We recently reported the decrease in the number of gastrointestinal (GI) cancer diagnoses in 2020 due to disturbance of the healthcare system by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, using a hospital-based cancer registration system in Akita prefecture, Japan. In this study, we extended the research by showing the latest data (2021) on the number of cancers and examinations. Information on the occurrence and stage of esophageal, gastric, and colorectal cancers was collected from the same database. The number of GI examinations (cancer screening procedures and endoscopic examinations) was also investigated. Following the immediate decrease in the numbers of both GI examinations and GI cancer diagnoses in 2020, a rebound increase in the numbers of GI cancer diagnoses-especially colorectal cancers-was observed in 2021, resulting from an increased number of GI examinations i.e., the total number of colorectal cancers in 2021 increased by 9.0% and 6.8% in comparison to 2020 and pre-pandemic era, respectively. However, the rebound increase in 2021 was largely due to an increase in early-stage cancers, and there was no apparent trend toward the increased predominance of more advanced cancers. It therefore seems that we managed to escape from the worst-case scenario of disturbance of the healthcare system due to pandemic (i.e., an increase in the number of more advanced cancers due to delayed diagnoses). We need to continue to watch the trends in Akita prefecture, which has the highest rate of mortality from the 3 major GI cancers in Japan.
Keywords —— cancer screening; cancer stage; colorectal cancers; COVID-19 pandemic; gastrointestinal cancers
© 2023 Tohoku University Medical Press
===============================
Tohoku J. Exp. Med 2023, 259, 300-306.
Correspondence: Katsunori Iijima, M.D., Ph.D., Department of Gastroenterology, Akita University Graduate School of Medicine, 1-1-1 Hondo, Akita, Akita 010-8543, Japan.
e-mail: kiijima@med.akita-u.ac.jp