Trends in urologic oncology clinical practice and medical education under COVID-19 pandemic: An international survey of senior clinical and academic urologists

Barak Rosenzweig*, Axel Bex, Zohar A. Dotan, Mark Frydenberg, Laurence Klotz, Yair Lotan, Claude C. Schulman, Igor Tsaur, Jacob Ramon

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

8 Scopus citations

Abstract

Objective: Ad-hoc guidelines for managing the COVID-19 pandemic are published worldwide. We investigated international applications of such policies in the urologic-oncology community. Methods: A 20-item survey was e-mailed via SurveyMonkey to 100 international senior urologic-oncology surgeons. Leaders’ policies regarding clinical/surgical management and medical education were surveyed probing demographics, affiliations, urologic-oncologic areas of interest, and current transportation restrictions. Data on COVID-19 burden were retrieved from the ECDC. Statistical analyses employed non-parametric tests (SPSS v.25.0, IBM). Results: Of 100 leaders from 17 countries, 63 responded to our survey, with 58 (92%) reporting university and/or cancer-center affiliations. Policies on new-patient visits remained mostly unchanged, while follow-up visits for low-risk diseases were mostly postponed, for example, 83.3% for small renal mass (SRM). Radical prostatectomy was delayed in 76.2% of cases, while maintaining scheduled timing for radical cystectomy (71.7%). Delays were longer in Europe than in the Americas for kidney cancer (SRM follow-up, P = 0.014), prostate cancer (new visits, P = 0.003), and intravesical therapy for intermediate-risk bladder cancer (P = 0.043). In Europe, COVID-19 burden correlated with policy adaptation, for example, nephrectomy delays for T2 disease (r = 0.5, P =0.005). Regarding education policies, trainees’ medical education was mainly unchanged, whereas senior urologists' planned attendance at professional meetings dropped from 6 (IQR 1−11) to 2 (IQR 0−5) (P < 0.0001). Conclusion: Under COVID-19, senior urologic-oncology surgeons worldwide apply risk-stratified approaches to timing of clinical and surgical schedules. Policies regarding trainee education were not significantly affected. We suggest establishment of an international consortium to create a directive for coping with such future challenges to global healthcare.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)929.e1-929.e10
JournalUrologic Oncology: Seminars and Original Investigations
Volume38
Issue number12
DOIs
StatePublished - Dec 2020

Funding

FundersFunder number
Bernardo Maria Cesare Rocco35
CHU Lille
Department of Urology
Fundació Puigvert
Hospital Universitario Fundacion Alcorcon
Institut Mutualiste Montsouris, Université Paris-Descartes
San Raffaele Scientific Institute
School of Medicine, Detroit, MI
University Hospital Heidelberg
University Lille Nord de France
VA Tennessee Valley Geriatric Research, Education, and Clinical Center
Vita-Salute University
Massachusetts General Hospital
Vanderbilt University
Wayne State University
University of Chicago
University of Minnesota
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
Baylor College of Medicine
University of Melbourne
Lunds Universitet
Peter Maccallum Cancer Centre
Universidad de Buenos Aires
Université Paris Descartes
Universitat de Barcelona
Universidad Rey Juan Carlos
Skånes universitetssjukhus
Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona
Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University

    Keywords

    • Bladder cancer
    • COVID-19 pandemic
    • Kidney cancer
    • Medical education
    • Policy
    • Prostate cancer
    • Testicular cancer
    • Urologic oncology

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