Medicina Fluminensis, Vol. 61 No. 4, 2025.
Stručni rad
https://doi.org/10.21860/medflum2025_336674
The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Treatment of Muscle- Invasive Bladder Carcinoma at the University Hospital Center Rijeka: A Retrospective Study
Ana Cerovski
; Klinički bolnički centar Rijeka, Objedinjeni hitni bolnički prijam, Rijeka, Hrvatska
Kristian Krpina
; Klinički bolnički centar Rijeka, Klinika za urologiju, Rijeka, Hrvatska
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* Dopisni autor.
Sažetak
Aim: To determine the extent to which the COVID-19 pandemic affected the treatment of muscle-invasive bladder cancer at the University Hospital Centre Rijeka. It was expected that movement restrictions, fear of infection within healthcare facilities, and the overload of the healthcare system would lead to delays in seeking medical care. Participants and Methods: data were collected through the Hospital Information System (BIS) by reviewing the histopathology reports of patients who underwent radical cystectomy in 2018 and 2021 at the Department of Urology and the Clinical Department of Pathology and Cytology, University Hospital Center Rijeka. The data included: patient age and sex, year of hospitalization, date of transurethral resection of bladder tumour (TURBT) with histopathology report, date of cystectomy with histopathology report, as well as tumour location and diameter. Results: the study included a total of 82 patients who underwent radical cystectomy for muscle-invasive bladder cancer. No statistically significant differences were found in sex distribution (p=0.07), age distribution (p=0.126), tumour location, or size. Likewise, there was no statistically significant difference in the number of TURBTs performed per month (p=0.423), nor in the comparison of T1 and T2 stages of TURBT specimens. There was no statistically significant difference in the monthly distribution of cystectomies (p=0.171). However, there was a significant difference in the average number of days from initial diagnosis (TURBT) to radical cystectomy: in 2018 the median was 63 days, while in 2021 it was 82 days (p=0.0123). Statistical analysis showed no significant difference in histopathological T stage between 2018 and 2021 (p=0.740), nor in the distribution of patients according to histopathological N stage (p=0.299). Conclusions: the pandemic significantly affected only the time interval between TURBT and radical cystectomy, while it had no impact on the final diagnosis, including TNM staging.
Ključne riječi
bladder; cancer; COVID-19 pandemic; radical cystectomy
Hrčak ID:
336674
URI
Datum izdavanja:
1.12.2025.
Posjeta: 0 *