COVID-19 PANDEMIC IMPACT ON OVERALL SURVIVAL OF THE MOST COMMON CANCER TYPES IN HUNGARY
Author(s)
Zoltan Kiss, PhD1, Anikó C. Maráz, PhD2, Zsolt Horvath, PhD3, Gergo A. Molnár, PhD4, Miklós Darida, MD1, István Köveskuti, MSc1, Natali Neuhauser, MSc1, Tamas G. Szabo, PhD1, György Rokszin, PhD5, Valéria Kovács, MSc5, Lilla Tamási, PhD6, Krisztina Bogos, PhD7, Zoltán Vokó, PhD8.
1MSD Pharma Hungary, Budapest, Hungary, 2Department of Oncotherapy, University of Szeged, Szeged, Hungary, 3Department of Oncology, Bács-Kiskun County Teaching Hospital, Kecskemét, Hungary, 4Second Department of Medicine and Nephrology-Diabetes Centre, University of Pécs Medical School, Pécs, Hungary, 5RxTarget Ltd, Szolnok, Hungary, 6Semmelweis University, Department of Pulmonology, Hungary, 7National Korányi Institute of Pulmonology, Budapest, Hungary, 8Center for Health Technology Assessment, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary.
1MSD Pharma Hungary, Budapest, Hungary, 2Department of Oncotherapy, University of Szeged, Szeged, Hungary, 3Department of Oncology, Bács-Kiskun County Teaching Hospital, Kecskemét, Hungary, 4Second Department of Medicine and Nephrology-Diabetes Centre, University of Pécs Medical School, Pécs, Hungary, 5RxTarget Ltd, Szolnok, Hungary, 6Semmelweis University, Department of Pulmonology, Hungary, 7National Korányi Institute of Pulmonology, Budapest, Hungary, 8Center for Health Technology Assessment, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary.
OBJECTIVES: Describe OS of the 10 most common cancer types in Hungary for 2020-2021 and explore changes during the 2011-2021 period, as we have recently reported significant improvement in the overall survival (OS) across multiple cancer types in Hungary, comparing patients diagnosed in 2017-2018 to those diagnosed in o 2011-2012 (Kiss et al., Cancers, 2025). However, the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted access to healthcare in 2020-2021 potentially offsetting these gains.
METHODS: Using the data retrieval strategy developed as part of the HUN-CANCER-EPI studies, cancer cases were identified based on ICD-10 codes associated with reimbursement claims in the Hungarian National Health Insurance Fund database. Only patients presenting with first primary malignancy were considered. Hazard Ratios (HR), compared to OS of patients diagnosed in 2011-2012, were calculated using Cox regression (censoring data points after 3 years). Results are reported with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) corresponding to a threshold of significance at p<0.05.
RESULTS: Colorectal cancer patients diagnosed in 2020-2021 featured a 3-year OS of 55.2% and a HR of 0.935 (95%CI: 0.906-0.964) compared to 2011-2012 (OS=52%), suggesting significantly improved OS. The 22.4% 3-year OS of lung cancer in 2020-2021 (OS=23.8%), on the other hand, was associated with a HR of 1.072 (95%CI: 1.046-1.099) and the increase was also significant, when comparing both 2020 and 2021 to 2019. Significantly decreased OS during 2020-2021 was also observed in kidney, prostate, stomach and liver cancers, while OS of melanoma, breast, bladder and pancreatic cancer was not impacted.
CONCLUSIONS: Disruptions to healthcare access associated with the COVID-19 pandemic have partially offset previously reported improvements in OS rates of some, but not all of the most common cancer types in Hungary. These findings should be interpreted with caution, though, as further analyses would be required to account for tumor stage and comorbidities, which may differ between the two populations.
METHODS: Using the data retrieval strategy developed as part of the HUN-CANCER-EPI studies, cancer cases were identified based on ICD-10 codes associated with reimbursement claims in the Hungarian National Health Insurance Fund database. Only patients presenting with first primary malignancy were considered. Hazard Ratios (HR), compared to OS of patients diagnosed in 2011-2012, were calculated using Cox regression (censoring data points after 3 years). Results are reported with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) corresponding to a threshold of significance at p<0.05.
RESULTS: Colorectal cancer patients diagnosed in 2020-2021 featured a 3-year OS of 55.2% and a HR of 0.935 (95%CI: 0.906-0.964) compared to 2011-2012 (OS=52%), suggesting significantly improved OS. The 22.4% 3-year OS of lung cancer in 2020-2021 (OS=23.8%), on the other hand, was associated with a HR of 1.072 (95%CI: 1.046-1.099) and the increase was also significant, when comparing both 2020 and 2021 to 2019. Significantly decreased OS during 2020-2021 was also observed in kidney, prostate, stomach and liver cancers, while OS of melanoma, breast, bladder and pancreatic cancer was not impacted.
CONCLUSIONS: Disruptions to healthcare access associated with the COVID-19 pandemic have partially offset previously reported improvements in OS rates of some, but not all of the most common cancer types in Hungary. These findings should be interpreted with caution, though, as further analyses would be required to account for tumor stage and comorbidities, which may differ between the two populations.
Conference/Value in Health Info
2026-11, ISPOR Europe 2026, Vienna, Austria
Value in Health, Volume 29, Issue 12S
Code
EPH86
Topic
Clinical Outcomes, Epidemiology & Public Health, Health Service Delivery & Process of Care
Disease
Infectious Disease (non-vaccine), Oncology