Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on staging at presentation of patients with invasive melanoma.
Authors: Shaikh Saba , Yang Xi , Fortman Dylan , Wang Hong , Davar Diwakar , Luke Jason J. , Zarour Hassane M. , Kirkwood John M. , Najjar Yana G. 
Published: June 2021

e21579

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted cancer care beyond the direct implications of viral infection. Delays in presentation and diagnosis may lead to more advanced disease and worse patient outcomes. We evaluated the impact of the pandemic on patients (pts) with melanoma (mel). Methods: A single-institution, retrospective comparison of pts with newly diagnosed invasive mel or metastatic recurrence prior to (pre-cohort, n = 246) and after (post-cohort, n = 246) declaration of the COVID-19 pandemic on March 11, 2020. 492 pts were evaluated between March 1, 2019 and January 12, 2021. Key variables collected included demographics, pathology, stage at diagnosis, surgical management, receipt of adjuvant or systemic therapy, and follow up. Categorical variables were compared using the two-sided Fisher’s exact test, continuous variables were compared using the two-sided Wilcoxon rank sum test, and survival endpoints were evaluated with the Kaplan-Meier method. This study was exempt from review by the IRB. Results: 200 (81.3%) pts presented with early-stage disease and 46 (18.7%) pts presented with metastatic disease in the post-cohort, compared to 209 (85%) and 37 (15%) pts in the pre-cohort, respectively. In the post-cohort there was a significant decrease in stage I pts (28.5% vs 40.7%, p = 0.006), a significant increase in stage III pts (30.5% vs 21.1%, p = 0.023), and a significant increase in pts with metastatic recurrence (7.7% vs 3.3%, p = 0.046) compared to the pre-cohort. There was also a significant increase in pts with brain metastases (BM) in the post-cohort (6.5% vs 1.6%, p = 0.010). For pts with early-stage disease, there was a significant increase in median Breslow depth (2.0 vs 1.4 mm, p = 0.047) and mitotic rate > 1 (78.1% vs 66%, p = 0.008) in the post-cohort. There were trends toward increased ulceration, lymphovascular/perineural invasion, and microsatellite presence. Pts receiving adjuvant therapy in the post-cohort were significantly more likely to receive oral targeted therapy (37.6% vs 27.5%) compared to IV immunotherapy (62.4% vs 72.5%), p = 0.034, perhaps reflecting an attempt to minimize in-person visits. There was not a significant difference between the 2 groups in the type of systemic therapy administered in the metastatic setting. Median progression-free and overall survival were not reached due to a limited number of events in each arm. Conclusions: There was a significant decrease in pts with stage I mel along with a significant increase in pts with stage III mel, metastatic recurrence, and BMs presenting to our institution during the pandemic. Findings are likely related to delays from both the patient (to avoid interaction with the healthcare system - including primary care, dermatology, and oncology) and from the system itself, with some clinics potentially evaluating pts in a limited capacity. These data reaffirm the importance of early detection and evaluation of melanoma.