Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2021 Jan;21(1):101-107.
doi: 10.1080/14737159.2021.1860760. Epub 2020 Dec 21.

Exploring the real-world effect of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic on the molecular diagnostics for cancer patients and high-risk individuals

Milena Cavic  1 , Ana Krivokuca  1 , Ivana Boljevic  1 , Jelena Spasic  2 , Milica Mihajlovic  1 , Marijana Pavlovic  1 , Ana Damjanovic  1 , Davorin Radosavljevic  2 , Radmila Jankovic  1
Affiliations

Exploring the real-world effect of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic on the molecular diagnostics for cancer patients and high-risk individuals

Milena Cavic et al. Expert Rev Mol Diagn. 2021 Jan.

Abstract

Background: The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic introduced a global distraction effect in cancer patients' care. The aim of this study was to explore the effect of the pandemic on the largest molecular diagnostics center for cancer patients and high-risk individuals in Serbia.Research design and methods: EGFR, KRAS/NRAS, BRAF, and BRCA1/2 mutation testing were performed by qPCR and NGS. NGS was used for panel testing of hereditary breast/ovarian cancer and cancers associated with Lynch syndrome. The analytical output during the state of emergency (SoE) was compared to the period before and after the outbreak using one-way ANOVA. Statistical significance was set at p < 0.05.Results: A 38% reduction in the number of analysis was detected during the SoE. After the SoE, a 19% reduction was noted compared to SoE and 50% compared to the period before the SoE (p = 0.038). Three of the 48 scheduled appointments for pretest genetic counseling were carried out during the SoE, but the number of NGS tests increased by 50%.Conclusions: The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic had a profound negative effect on the diagnostic output of our centralized molecular diagnostics center. The only positive effect was shortening of waiting lists for hereditary cancer patients and high-risk individuals.

Keywords: Companion diagnostics; cancer genetics; genetic counseling; hereditary cancer; sars-CoV-2.

PubMed Disclaimer

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

Publication types

MeSH terms

-