The influence of the COVID measures on long-term cancer care and survival.

This project will provide insight into 1) to what extent the changes in cancer care implemented during the COVID pandemic are still being applied and 2) the effects of these changes on the survival of patients with cancer. The project is the first to focus on changes in care for breast cancer patients, such as starting anti-hormonal treatment instead of surgery and radiation with shorter schedules. Secondly, the survival of patients diagnosed with cancers with a poor prognosis, for example esophageal, pancreatic, stomach, oral and pharyngeal cancer and metastases at diagnosis, is studied. Possible factors that influence care and survival (such as socio-economic status) are investigated. The insights are obtained based on data from the Dutch cancer registry (supplemented with radiotherapy data). New insights can support decision-making in future scarcity within healthcare.