COVID-19疫情對癌症病人就醫行為之影響

目的：本研究旨在探討COVID-19疫情警戒期間癌症患者的就醫行為，著重於延遲治療及治療方式選擇是否有改變，以提供臨床醫護人員因應重大疾病流行的因應之道。
方法：本研究收集中部某醫學中心2019年至2021年間的癌症登記資料庫，包含19種類型的癌症案例。以SPSS 22.0統計套裝軟體進行資料分析，包括描述性統計、卡方檢定、獨立樣本t檢定，以比較疫情爆發前後的差異。
結果：疫情前後診斷的癌症個案數量存在顯著差異（p<0.001）。從最初診斷日至首次治療開始日期的治療天數分析發現，頰粘膜癌、子宮頸癌、淋巴癌呈現明顯的治療延遲（p<0.05）。在治療方式方面，直腸癌（p<0.05）、卵巢癌（p<0.05）和膀胱癌（p<0.001）在疫情爆發後選擇非局部治療的比率較高。
結論：COVID-19疫情期間，受到癌症特性和治療計畫差異的影響，部分癌症患者出現治療延遲的情況。研究還發現在疫情期間，選擇非局部治療的患者比例較高。研究結果強調在重大疾病流行期間，臨床人員需與患者保持持續溝通，加強提醒病人回診就醫，以減少治療延遲以提高患者安全性。

Objectives：This study aims to investigate the medical behavior of cancer patients during the alert period of the COVID-19 epidemic, focusing on delayed treatment and changes in treatment choices. The goal is to provide clinicians with information on how to manage medical care during major disease epidemics.
Methods：The study utilizes data from the cancer registry database of our hospital, covering 19 types of cancer cases from 2019 to 2021. Data analysis is performed using SPSS Statistics 22.0, employing descriptive statistics, the chi-square test, and the independent sample t-test.
Differences before and after the outbreak are examined.
Results：A significant difference in the number of diagnosed cancer cases is observed before and after the epidemic (p<0.001). Analysis of the days from diagnosis to the first course of treatment reveals significant delays in buccal mucosa cancer, cervical cancer, and lymphoma (p<0.05). Moreover, post-outbreak, rectal cancer (p<0.05), ovarian cancer (p<0.05), and bladder cancer (p<0.001) exhibit higher rates of non- local treatment.
Conclusion：The COVID-19 epidemic led to delayed treatment in select cancer cases, influenced by cancer characteristics and variations in treatment plans. A notable increase in the proportion of patients opting for non-local treatment during the epidemic is observed. The findings emphasize the importance of ongoing communication between clinical staff and patients during major disease outbreaks to mitigate treatment delays and improve patient safety.