Demographic and Clinical Characteristics of Patients Undergoing Head and Neck Cancer Surgery during and After the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Single-Centre Experience

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the long-term effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on surgical oncology by comparing the demographic and clinical characteristics of patients undergoing surgery for head and neck cancer during the pandemic and postpandemic periods.

Materials and Methods: This retrospective study included 167 patients who underwent surgery at our clinic between March 2020 and March 2025. Patients were grouped as pandemic (n=53) and postpandemic (n=114). Age, diagnosis-to-surgery time, hospital stay, tumour localisation, pathological stage, and histopathology were compared.

Results: There was a statistically significant reduction in patients’ average age during the pandemic (p=0.009). No significant differences were observed in the interval from diagnosis to surgery, postoperative hospitalisation duration, or pathological stage. The distribution of tumour localisation showed a difference approaching statistical significance (p=0.052). The postpandemic period exhibited a significantly higher proportion of SCC (p=0.016).

Conclusion: The pandemic had enduring repercussions on head and neck cancer surgery, altering patient profiles and tumour types, and indicating indirect impacts on healthcare access.

Keywords

• COVID-19 Pandemic
• Squamous Cell Carcinoma of Head and Neck
• Surgical Oncology
• Time-to-Treatment

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