Key clinical point: Patients diagnosed with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) after vs. before the COVID-19 lockdown had higher levels of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) and shorter survival, indicating the need for interventions to minimize the pandemic-associated diagnostic delay.
Major finding: Patients diagnosed after the lockdown vs. those diagnosed before had a significantly higher ctDNA concentration (119.2 vs 17.3 ng/mL; P < .001). Additionally, the median survival was significantly shorter in patients with ctDNA 24.4 ng/mL or more vs 24.4 ng/mL or lower (14.7 months vs 20.0 months; P = .005).
Study details: This cohort study included 80 patients with newly diagnosed unresectable mCRC from the ongoing phase 2 PANIRINOX trial who underwent screening procedure before (n=40) or after (n=40) the first COVID-19 lockdown in France in 2020.
Disclosures: The PANIRINOX study was funded by Amgen and sponsored by Unicancer Research and Development. Some of the authors declared receiving personal fees and/or grants from various sources including Amgen.
Source: Thierry AR et al. JAMA Netw Open. 2021 Sep 8. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2021.24483 .