{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,20]],"date-time":"2026-08-20T14:48:04Z","timestamp":1787237284902,"version":"build-2736575974"},"reference-count":49,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"12","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2024,6,18]],"date-time":"2024-06-18T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1718668800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["JCM"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Objectives: The COVID-19 pandemic and its associated restrictions have resulted in delayed diagnoses across various tumor entities, including rectal cancer. Our hypothesis was based on the expectation of a reduced number of primary operations due to higher tumor stages compared to the control group. Methods: In a single-center retrospective study conducted from 1 March 2018 to 1 March 2022, we analyzed 120 patients with an initial diagnosis of rectal cancer. Among them, 65 patients were part of the control group (pre-COVID-19), while 55 patients were included in the study group (during the COVID-19 pandemic). We compared tumor stages, treatment methods, and complications, presenting data as absolute numbers or mean values. Results: Fewer primary tumor resections during the COVID-19 pandemic (p = 0.010), as well as a significantly lower overall number of tumor resections (p = 0.025) were seen compared to the control group. Twenty percent of patients in the COVID-19 group received their diagnosis during lockdown periods. These patients presented significantly higher tumor stages (T4b: 27.3% vs. 6.2%, p = 0.025) compared to the control group prior to the pandemic. In addition, more patients with angiolymphatic invasion (ALI) were identified in the COVID-19 group following neoadjuvant treatment compared to the control group (p = 0.027). No differences were noted between the groups regarding complications, stoma placement, or conversion rates. Conclusions: The COVID-19 pandemic, particularly during lockdown, appears to have contributed to delayed diagnoses, resulting in higher tumor stages and a decreased number of surgeries. The quality of rectal cancer treatment can be maintained under pandemic conditions.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/jcm13123568","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2024,6,18]],"date-time":"2024-06-18T07:33:20Z","timestamp":1718696000000},"page":"3568","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":3,"title":["Influence of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Patients with Rectal Cancer"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"13","author":[{"given":"Fiona","family":"Speichinger","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of General and Visceral Surgery, Charit\u00e9 Universit\u00e4tsmedizin Berlin, 12203 Berlin, Germany"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0003-3919-5175","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ann-Kathrin","family":"Berg","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of General and Visceral Surgery, Charit\u00e9 Universit\u00e4tsmedizin Berlin, 12203 Berlin, Germany"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-0804-7837","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ani","family":"Stoyanova","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of General and Visceral Surgery, Charit\u00e9 Universit\u00e4tsmedizin Berlin, 12203 Berlin, Germany"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-0563-8826","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Johannes Christian","family":"Lauscher","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of General and Visceral Surgery, Charit\u00e9 Universit\u00e4tsmedizin Berlin, 12203 Berlin, Germany"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-5406-8540","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Carsten","family":"Kamphues","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of General and Visceral Surgery, Park-Klinik Wei\u00dfensee Berlin, 13086 Berlin, Germany"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Katharina","family":"Beyer","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of General and Visceral Surgery, Charit\u00e9 Universit\u00e4tsmedizin Berlin, 12203 Berlin, Germany"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-6102-4338","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Claudia","family":"Seifarth","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of General and Visceral Surgery, Charit\u00e9 Universit\u00e4tsmedizin Berlin, 12203 Berlin, Germany"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Nadia","family":"Slavova","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of General and Visceral Surgery, Charit\u00e9 Universit\u00e4tsmedizin Berlin, 12203 Berlin, Germany"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-9189-6751","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Christian","family":"Schineis","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of General and Visceral Surgery, Charit\u00e9 Universit\u00e4tsmedizin Berlin, 12203 Berlin, Germany"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2024,6,18]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","unstructured":"World Health Organization (WHO) (2020, October 01). 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