Impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic on hospital admissions and surgical procedures for cancer patients in Brasil

• Grant number: 25/07675-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate
• Start date: August 01, 2025
• End date: January 31, 2028
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Collective Health - Epidemiology
• Principal Investigator: José Leopoldo Ferreira Antunes
• Grantee: Lays Silva de Azevedo
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Saúde Pública (FSP). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Introduction: the Covid-19 pandemic significantly disrupted health services, leading to a decrease in healthcare demand and delays in diagnosis and treatment, particularly due to the postponement of procedures considered elective. Objective: to analyze and map the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic on hospital admissions and surgical procedures for cancer patients within the Brazilian Unified Health System (SUS), across Brazil's Intermediate Geographic Regions (IGRs). Methods: data will be collected from the Hospital Information System of the Brazilian Unified Health System (SIH-SUS) on hospital admissions related to cancer (ICD-10 C00-C97) in the IGRs. Hospitalization and surgical procedure rates will be calculated for all cancer types and the eight most incident types in the country. The impacts of the different phases of the Covid-19 pandemic will be estimated by calculating the percentage change of the rates relative to a pre-pandemic control period, including stratification by age group and race. The pandemic's effects on the average cost of clinical and surgical hospitalizations will also be evaluated. Lastly, socioeconomic indicators will be analyzed to assess associations with hospitalizations and surgical procedures using Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) and Geographically Weighted Regression (GWR) models. Expected results: the study is expected to provide a comprehensive and detailed overview of the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on cancer-related hospitalizations and surgical procedures in Brazil, elucidating the differences between pandemic phases and IGRs, as well as the reorganization of services. The findings aim to contribute to the effective planning of health services and the resilience of cancer care in future public health emergencies.