During a storm – the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the epidemiology of the most frequent cancers in Poland

Abstract Background The late diagnosis, despite improving availability and accessibility of diagnostic procedures during the last decade in Poland and cooperation between specialist cancer centres, remains an unsolved problem. A new coronavirus SARS-CoV2 causing the COVID-19 disease occurred in the end of 2019. In a few months, it has become the most fundamental problem for public health worldwide. The accessibility to healthcare resources and diagnostic procedures has been drastically reduced because of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2019–2020. The study was aimed to assess the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic and slow cancer burden on the healthcare system of the most frequent cancers in Poland in the period 2015–2021. Methods Depersonalized, epidemiological data was obtained from the National Health Found of Poland. The epidemiological analysis was performed and divided into subregions, according to patients’ domicile. For each of the subregions, we have calculated the incidence rate per 100,000 standardized to the ESP 2013. The time points of providing the first healthcare service were considered as the time of cancer diagnosis. Results Colorectal cancer has become the leading oncological problem in Poland in recent years and the long-term trend shows a significant increase in the SIR in 2021 compared to 2020. The SIR of the lung cancer decreased in 2015–2019 across the country as well as the burden of kidney cancer has decreased in most of the subregions. The breast and prostate cancers were the most frequent cancer diagnosed in Poland among women and men respectively. Such a situation has remained stable till 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic has occurred. In 2020, compared to 2019 a visible reduction of SIR of the breast cancer in most of the subregions was found, especially in the eastern areas. In 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic occurred, a visible reduction of the SIR of C61 in most of the subregions was found. Conclusions Our results show a significant decrease in the SIR of the most frequent cancers diagnosed in Poland in 2020 compared to 2019. Subsequently, the excessive increase in 2021 was found, the most likely due to the gradual reduction of epidemic restrictions.