• Jacqueline Justino Nabhen, Tayza Katelline Danilau Ostroski, Milena Massumi Kozonoe, Dinarte Orlandi, Tiago Tormen, and Sérgio Ossamu Ioshii.
• Hospital de Clínicas da Universidade Federal do Paraná, Faculdade de Medicina, Curitiba, PR, Brasil.
• Rev Assoc Med Bras (1992). 2020 Oct 1; 66 (10): 1361-1365.

ObjectiveThe aim of our study was to investigate whether there has been a reduction in patient admission to a high-complexity cancer care center in Brasil during the COVID-19 pandemic, similar to what was reported in Europe.MethodsWe reviewed the cancer tracking database of the largest cancer center in southern Brasil and performed statistical tests to compare first-time appointments from the onset of the outbreak until the end of June to those of the equivalent period in 2019.ResultsWe observed a dramatic reduction (-42%) in first-time appointments during the pandemic compared to the same period in the previous year (P <0.001). This reduction was observed among all medical specialties (P <0.001).ConclusionThe onset of COVID-19 was correlated with a reduction in admission to a high-complexity cancer care center in Brasil. Since a delay in diagnosis and treatment may influence prognosis, it is important that cancer centers and public health strategies reinforce care for non-COVID-19 patients to prevent potentially unnecessary deaths.

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