{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,17]],"date-time":"2026-03-17T11:24:56Z","timestamp":1773746696924,"version":"3.50.1"},"reference-count":27,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"6","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,17]],"date-time":"2026-03-17T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1773705600000},"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>Background\/Objectives: The COVID-19 pandemic emerged in early 2020, disrupting global cancer services. We aimed to assess the pandemic\u2019s impact on lung cancer diagnosis and treatment, including clinical characteristics, diagnostic methods, treatment patterns, and survival outcomes. Methods: A retrospective analysis of 1832 patients visiting Maharaj Nakorn Chiang Mai Hospital from January 2019 to December 2021 with suspected lung cancer was conducted. We evaluated demographic characteristics, diagnostic methods, treatment modalities, and survival results across this period. Results: Among the 698 eligible patients, the pandemic led to a 13% to 17% decline in newly diagnosed lung cancer cases. However, demographic and lung cancer characteristics, including age, gender, and smoking status, remained unchanged. The pandemic also saw an increase in asymptomatic cases and a 1.3 to 2.2 times higher occurrence of early-stage non-small cell lung cancer cases. The rapid implementation of healthcare policies prioritized the diagnosis of suspected cancer patients and maintained cancer care throughout the pandemic, resulting in similar diagnostic methods and waiting times compared to the pre-pandemic era. Treatment patterns displayed continuity, with a notable rise in 2 to 3 times higher surgical interventions and an 8% to 11% decrease in the initial delivery of palliative care. The delivery of systemic therapy for patients with advanced-stage disease was also maintained. One-year survival rates remained consistent across various lung cancer stages during the pandemic. Conclusions: The COVID-19 pandemic led to a modest decrease in new diagnoses, with limited effects on the demographic and clinical profiles of lung cancer cases. Survival rates among patients diagnosed during the pandemic remained stable compared to those diagnosed before the pandemic. These findings underscore the adaptability of the healthcare system, alongside the capabilities of multidisciplinary teams, in providing timely and effective diagnosis and ensuring uninterrupted essential treatment of lung cancer during challenging circumstances.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/jcm15062277","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,17]],"date-time":"2026-03-17T10:21:41Z","timestamp":1773742901000},"page":"2277","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Diagnosis, Treatment, and Survival of Lung Cancer Patients in Thailand from 2019\u20132021"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"15","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-8659-8629","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Chaiyut","family":"Charoentum","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Internal Medicine, Oncology Unit, Faculty of Medicine, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai 50200, Thailand"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Chawin","family":"Aksorn","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Medicine, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai 50200, Thailand"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Khemruthai","family":"Chaiwipassatorn","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Medicine, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai 50200, Thailand"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Khwanchanok","family":"Siroros","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Medicine, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai 50200, Thailand"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Kittipich","family":"Tiangtawat","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Medicine, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai 50200, Thailand"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Thanika","family":"Ketpueak","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Internal Medicine, Oncology Unit, Faculty of Medicine, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai 50200, Thailand"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-1996-3387","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Thatthan","family":"Suksombooncharoen","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Internal Medicine, Oncology Unit, Faculty of Medicine, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai 50200, Thailand"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4052-5728","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Busayamas","family":"Chewaskulyong","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Internal Medicine, Oncology Unit, Faculty of Medicine, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai 50200, Thailand"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,17]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"e045343","DOI":"10.1136\/bmjopen-2020-045343","article-title":"Impact of COVID-19 pandemic on utilisation of healthcare services: A systematic review","volume":"11","author":"Moynihan","year":"2021","journal-title":"BMJ Open"},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"m1401","DOI":"10.1136\/bmj.m1401","article-title":"Covid-19: A&E visits in England fall by 25% in week after lockdown","volume":"369","author":"Thornton","year":"2020","journal-title":"BMJ"},{"key":"ref_3","first-page":"394","article-title":"Global cancer statistics 2018: GLOBOCAN estimates of incidence and mortality worldwide for 36 cancers in 185 countries","volume":"68","author":"Bray","year":"2018","journal-title":"CA Cancer J. 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