Estimated impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on cancer services and excess 1-year mortality in people with cancer and multimorbidity: near real-time data on cancer care, cancer deaths and a population-based cohort study

Abstract

Objectives: To estimate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on cancer care services and overall (direct and indirect) excess deaths in people with cancer.

Methods: We employed near real-time weekly data on cancer care to determine the adverse effect of the pandemic on cancer services. We also used these data, together with national death registrations until June 2020 to model deaths, in excess of background (pre-COVID-19) mortality, in people with cancer. Background mortality risks for 24 cancers with and without COVID-19-relevant comorbidities were obtained from population-based primary care cohort (Clinical Practice Research Datalink) on 3 862 012 adults in England.

Results: Declines in urgent referrals (median=-70.4%) and chemotherapy attendances (median=-41.5%) to a nadir (lowest point) in the pandemic were observed. By 31 May, these declines have only partially recovered; urgent referrals (median=-44.5%) and chemotherapy attendances (median=-31.2%). There were short-term excess death registrations for cancer (without COVID-19), with peak relative risk (RR) of 1.17 at week ending on 3 April. The peak RR for all-cause deaths was 2.1 from week ending on 17 April. Based on these findings and recent literature, we modelled 40% and 80% of cancer patients being affected by the pandemic in the long-term. At 40% affected, we estimated 1-year total (direct and indirect) excess deaths in people with cancer as between 7165 and 17 910, using RRs of 1.2 and 1.5, respectively, where 78% of excess deaths occured in patients with ≥1 comorbidity.

Conclusions: Dramatic reductions were detected in the demand for, and supply of, cancer services which have not fully recovered with lockdown easing. These may contribute, over a 1-year time horizon, to substantial excess mortality among people with cancer and multimorbidity. It is urgent to understand how the recovery of general practitioner, oncology and other hospital services might best mitigate these long-term excess mortality risks.

Keywords: COVID-19; health informatics; oncology.

Figure 1

Weekly hospital data (January 2019–June 2020) on changes in urgent referrals and chemotherapy clinic attendance from eight hospitals in the UK mapped to phases of the pandemic. Weekly changes from January 2020 to June 2020 were mapped to phases of the pandemic. Weekly values were plotted as percentage increase or decrease relative to the 2019 average. The data for Northern Ireland include five health and social care trusts (HSCs) that cover all health service provisions in Northern Ireland: Belfast HSC, Northern HSC, South Eastern HSC, Southern HSC and Western HSC. Vertical dotted lines indicate the Christmas bank holiday.

Figure 2

Office for National Statistics data on weekly registrations of deaths in the England and Wales from 3 January 2020 to 15 May 2020. (A) Upper panel indicates the number of weekly deaths. (B) Lower panel indicates weekly changes in relative risk estimates calculated by comparing the current weekly deaths to 5-year weekly averages. Dates indicate week ending on a particular date.

Figure 3

Estimated total (direct and indirect) excess deaths by cancer site over a 1-year period. (A) 1-year mortality for incident and prevalent cancers. The whiskers are 95% CIs. (B) Total excess deaths were scaled up to the population of England aged 30+ consisting of 35 million individuals using England mortality estimates for both incident and prevalent cancers combined. We estimated direct excess deaths at a 10% infection rate. We estimated total (direct and indirect) excess deaths for 40% (10% infected, 30% affected) and 80% (10% infected, 70% affected) of the population.

Figure 4

Total (direct and indirect) excess deaths for both incident and prevalent cancers by cancer site and number of comorbidities over a 1-year period. Stacked bar chart indicates the proportion of individuals with 0, 1, 2 and 3+ comorbidities by cancer site. We estimated total excess deaths for 40% (10% infected, 30% affected) of the population. Total excess deaths were scaled up to the population of England aged 30+ consisting of 35 million individuals using England mortality estimates for both incident and prevalent cancers combined.