University of Twente Student Theses
The Impact of COVID-19 on the Procedures in the Diagnostic Pathway for Lung Cancer Patients.
Boekel, Marlijn van (2024) The Impact of COVID-19 on the Procedures in the Diagnostic Pathway for Lung Cancer Patients.
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| Full Text Status: | Access to this publication is restricted |
| Embargo date: | 29 August 2025 |
| Abstract: | The Covid-19 pandemic has disrupted healthcare systems worldwide, including lung cancer diagnostic pathways. This study aims to visualize and analyze these changes in the Netherlands, comparing pre-pandemic and peri-pandemic periods. 41,310 patients diagnosed between January 2017 and July 2021 were segmented into pre-Covid (Group A), crossover (first contact pre-, clinical diagnosis peri-Covid, Group B), and peri-Covid (Group C) periods, stratified by clinical tumour stage. The study identified changes in diagnostic practices due to the pandemic, such as reduced repetitions of diagnostic activities like X-Thorax scans, with an overall decrease in the number of activities. PET scan use decreased significantly in Group C, but this reduction was less noticeable for stage 4, where PET scans were already infrequently used. Conversely, endobronchial ultrasound (EBUS) use increased, particularly for stage 3 patients in Groups B and C. Additionally, a higher percentage of patients were diagnosed through the three most common pathways in Groups B and C compared to Group A. Diagnostic path lengths increased from Group A to B but slightly decreased overall from Group A to C, with fewer outliers. The study underscores healthcare system adaptability and the importance of refining diagnostic pathways to balance efficiency, accuracy, and resource allocation during crises. |
| Item Type: | Essay (Master) |
| Clients: | IKNL, Utrecht, Nederland |
| Faculty: | TNW: Science and Technology |
| Subject: | 44 medicine |
| Programme: | Health Sciences MSc (66851) |
| Link to this item: | https://purl.utwente.nl/essays/103095 |
| Export this item as: | BibTeX EndNote HTML Citation Reference Manager |
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