The Pandemic's Effect on Diagnosis and Treatment of Rectal Cancer

Colorectal cancer is common with an annual prevalence of 6000. The majority can be cured and the five year survival rate is over 60%. In december 2019 reports came in about SARS-Cov-2, which later was named Covid-19. The World Health Organization classified it as a pandemic in March 2020. In Sweden the number of patients with Covid-19 increased mainly in the urban areas in March 2020. Care for patients with other diseases were affected and local changes from guidelines were adopted. In some regions and countries the indications for adjuvant and neoadjuvant treatment for colorectal cancer were somewhat changed. The number of patients diagnosed with colorectal cancer also decreased, as well as other types of cancer. The true effect on outcome with a delayed diagnosis remains unknown. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on the diagnosis, treatment and survival of patients with colorectal cancer.