Comparison of prognostic factors in patients diagnosed with endometrial cancer before and after COVID 19 pandemic: a retrospective study

Aim: We aimed to compare prognostic factors in patients diagnosed with endometrial cancer before and after COVID 19 (Coronavirus Disease 19) pandemic. Material and Method: This study was conducted in the Department of Gynecologic Oncology at Selçuk University Faculty of Medicine. After the World Health Organization (WHO) announced the COVID 19 pandemic on March 11, 2020, the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Turkey made an urgent decision on health services. The surgical cases diagnosed with endometrial cancer were divided into two groups based on the date when the pandemic was announced on March 11, 2020 and described group 1: 19 months before the pandemic, group 2: 19 months after the pandemic. Demographics, prognostic variables (stage, histologic type, grade, myometrial invasion, lymphovascular invasion, stromal involvement, and tumor size), endometrial cancer histological types, and treatment phases were all statistically assessed (early stage, advanced stage). Results: A total of 194 cases were included, 96 cases in the first group and 98 cases in the second group. The mean age of the first group was 60.9±9.8 (40-86) years, the second group was 60.9±9.4 (36-82) years. There was statistically significant difference in clinicopathologic of endometrial cancer between group 1 and group 2, histologic type and grade (p=0.02; p=0.009 and p=0.018, respectively). There was no statistical difference between the two groups in age, stage, lymphatic and vascular space infiltration, muscular layer infiltration, interstitial infiltration and tumor size. Conclusion: In the post-COVID 19 pandemic, more detection of type 2 of endometrial cancer, poor histological type and high grade, which have bad prognostic factors are found to be which may be due to the early admission of extra genital complaints. More randomized multicenter studies are needed on this subject.