Chemotherapy Agents Used in the COVID-19 Pandemic and Previous Years in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Patients and Their Effects on Periodic Mortality: A Single-Center Experience

Demirci, Ayse Hacibekiroglu Ilhan

Objectives: The objective of the study was to evaluate chemotherapy agents used in the coronavirus disease-19 (CO?VID-19) pandemic and previous years and compare mortality rates of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients who were receiving anticancer therapy. Methods: Patients were analyzed retrospectively in three different groups;the first group (December 1, 2017-May 31, 2018), the second group (December 1, 2018-May 31, 2019), and the pandemic period group (PPG) (December 1, 2019- May 31, 2020). Results: A total of 608 NSCLC patients were evaluated, 183 in the first group, 206 in the second group, and 219 in the PPG. Palliative anticancer therapy rates were 85.2% in the first group, 87.7% in the second group, and 74.4% in the PPG (p<0.001), respectively. There was no statistically significant difference between the three groups in terms of the pre?ferred treatment agents. Mortality rate was found to be 21.9% in the PPG, and it was not significantly different from the other groups (p=0.959). The type of anticancer treatment agents had no statistically significant effect on mortality. The COVID-19-positive mortality rate among all NSCLC patients was 1.8% (4/219) in the PPG. Conclusion: COVID-19 pandemic did not significantly change mortality rates compared to previous years in this high?risk patient population.