Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on surgery for thyroid cancer in Italy: nationwide retrospective study

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has presented a serious burden to public health. Italy has been affected heavily, with nearly 2 million confirmed cases and almost 70 000 deaths. Globally, healthcare authorities have restricted medical care to emergency procedures, postponing elective surgical activity1–5. To evaluate the impact of restrictions on surgical activity for thyroid cancers in Italy, the Italian Society of Endocrine Surgery group and the Oncoteam of the Italian Society of Oncological Surgery undertook a retrospective analysis, comparing activity during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic (from 9
\nMarch 2020 to 31 August 2020) with activity during the same period of the previous year (control group). The study was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT04635813)