Impact of Covid-19 on the burden of cancer in Brazil and in countries of the International Cancer Benchmarking Partnership

• Grant number: 23/10389-4
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Post-doctor
• Start date: March 01, 2024
• End date: February 28, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Collective Health - Epidemiology
• Principal Investigator: José Leopoldo Ferreira Antunes
• Grantee: Amanda Ramos da Cunha
• Supervisor: Isabelle Soerjomataram
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Saúde Pública (FSP). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), France
• Associated to the scholarship: 21/07433-6 - Impact of COVID-19 on Cancer mortality and hospital care in the 133 intermediate geographic regions of Brazil and its relationship with socioeconomic conditions and provision of hospital structure, BP.PD

Abstract

The Covid-19 pandemic disrupted cancer care delivery worldwide; however, even more than three years since the pandemic's outset, the impact on cancer outcomes for populations is still not fully understood. In Brazil, it is still unclear whether the pandemic resulted in a lack of access to cancer diagnosis, delays in diagnosis or care, and whether it affected outcomes such as mortality from this disease. The overarching aim of this study is to assess the impact of the pandemic on the burden of major cancer in Brazil, namely cancer of the breast, lung, and colorectal. More specifically, this study aims to assess the incidence and mortality from breast, lung, and colorectal cancer in Brazil before and during the Covid-19 pandemic; and compare the possible impacts observed in Brazil with those in the seven countries of the International Cancer Benchmarking Partnership. It also aims to assess the distribution of new cases by stage at diagnosis before and during the pandemic in Brazil. The population-based cancer registries of Brazil included in volume XII of "Cancer Incidence in Five Continents" and the Mortality Information System will be, respectively, Brazil's incidence and mortality data source. We will assess the impact of the pandemic on new cancer diagnoses and deaths, comparing observed cases in the pandemic's years to the expected cases predicted using historical data (2015-2019). Expected cases will be estimated based on age, sex, calendar period, and Brazil's macroregions, by cancer type, using a dynamic regression model. The results obtained for Brazil will be compared with those observed in seven nations using the results of the "ICBP-COVID19: Assessing the COVID-19 impact on cancer in the International Cancer Benchmarking Partnership" study. The results of this projectcan provide an understanding of the magnitude, as well as the distribution of the effects of the pandemic on cancer care in Brazil, with the macroregion analysis contributing to the identification of inequities in these effects within the country. Finally, comparing these results with those obtained in other countries can provide valuable insights into best practices, contributing to improving the current health system, especially in cancer care, in Brazil. (AU)