key: cord-0886489-ykh307q0
authors: Molinier, R.; Roger, A.; Genet, B.; Blom, A.; Longvert, C.; Chaplain, L.; Fort, M.; Saiag, P.; Funck‐Brentano, E.
title: Impact of the French COVID‐19 pandemic lockdown on newly diagnosed melanoma delay and severity
date: 2021-11-23
journal: J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol
DOI: 10.1111/jdv.17802
sha: 02bbe028c7f7a1918c50ce06fedae647512db063
doc_id: 886489
cord_uid: ykh307q0

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound impact on the healthcare system worldwide, which led to a decrease in the number of melanoma diagnosis,1 but the consequences of lockdown on newly diagnosed melanomas severity have not been widely reported. We aimed to evaluate how the first lockdown in France impacted the incidence and prognostic characteristics of new melanomas, in our skin cancer center in the Parisian region, highly affected by the pandemic.

lifestyle, phototype and tumour-infiltrating lymphocytes. Statistical tests were two-sided and p-values<5.0% was considered statistically significant. We included 493 consecutive new melanoma cases, with no difference in baseline patient characteristics between groups. Globally, we observed an 8.2% reduction of new cases in 2020 (P1 + P2) compared with 2019 (P3 + P4) and a 15.4% reduction during lockdown (P1) compared with P3 (Fig. 1) . Melanomas diagnosed during P1 had a significantly higher mean Breslow index than during P3 (1.7 mm AE 2.1 vs. 1.5 AE 2.5, P < 0.001). More interestingly, P2 and P4 comparison showed significantly more severe cases at diagnosis after lockdown (P2), both on Breslow index, ulceration and neurotropism than on the AJCC stages (Table 1 ). Sentinel LN biopsy or LN dissection were more frequently performed (57% vs. 38.5%, P < 0.001); significantly less patients without regional metastasis (i.e. N0) were observed (64.4% vs. 79.7%, P = 0.01) and clinically occult LN involvement (i.e. Nxa) was more frequent (13.5% vs. 5.4%, P = 0.01), leading to more patients with an indication for adjuvant therapy (12.0% vs. 4.7%, P = 0.01). Patients referred during P2 had a higher risk of having melanoma with both a Breslow index 0.8 mm (OR = 1.75, 95%CI [1.19-2.63], P = 0.006) and ulceration (OR = 1.69, 95%CI [1.05-2.80], P = 0.034), than during P4; the risk of having a LN involvement also seemed to be higher (but not significantly): OR = 1.58, 95%CI [0.99-2.59], P = 0.06. Some similar studies worldwide focusing on the effect on the pandemic on melanoma has also reported the reduction of new cases, 1-3 with increased thickness. 3, 4 To note, although this reduction was lower in our study (35% 1 to 60% 2 vs. 15.4%), which might be due to different management between countries (our dermato-oncological activity was kept at the same level throughout the pandemic), we observed significant differences in severity. Reduction in attendance observed during P1 has not been caught up during P3, (Fig. 1) suggesting a delayed impact beyond the study period, which is consistent with previous concerns about subsequent effects of delayed cancer diagnosis on morbi-mortality. [5] [6] [7] To our knowledge, our study is the first to evaluate both prognostic factors and delayed impact of lockdown on melanoma AJCC 8th staging and adjuvant therapy on a large number of patients, compared to a reference period. We also evaluated the difference in adjuvant treatments, known to be responsible for adverse events and additional health costs. 8 This highlights the challenges of diagnostic strategies in skin cancer, 7 at a time of disputed mass screenings leading to overdiagnosis, 9 with consequences in terms of health cost and patients' anxiety. 10 Prevention and early melanoma detection are still a cornerstone in melanoma management, and the future's key challenge will be to find tools, such as teledermatology, to guarantee permanent access to melanoma screening, especially for high-risk populations.

All authors have declared no conflicts of interest.

None declared.

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request. 

COVID-19-related consequences on melanoma diagnoses from a local Italian registry in Genoa, Italy

A significant reduction in the diagnosis of melanoma during the COVID-19 lockdown in a third-level center in the Northern Italy

Delayed melanoma diagnosis in the COVID-19 era: increased Breslow thickness in primary melanomas seen after the COVID-19 lockdown

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the presentation status of newly diagnosed melanoma: a single institution experience

Estimated effect of COVID-19 lockdown on melanoma thickness and prognosis: a rate of growth model

Delayed skin cancer diagnosis in 2020 because of the COVID-19-related restrictions: Data from an institutional registry

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on diagnostic delay of skin cancer: a call to restart screening activities

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The rapid rise in cutaneous melanoma diagnoses

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