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. 2021 Nov 8;31(4):521–529. doi: 10.1684/ejd.2021.4098

Effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on care of melanoma patients in Berlin, Germany: the Mela-COVID survey

Miriam Teuscher 1,2, Katharina Diehl 3, Marthe-Lisa Schaarschmidt 4, Juliane Weilandt 1,5, Bianca Sasama 1, Jan Ohletz 6, Andreas Könnecke 7, Wolfgang Harth 6, Uwe Hillen 7, Wiebke Katharina Peitsch 1,✉
PMCID: PMC8572687  PMID: 36094385

Abstract

Background

The COVID-19 pandemic imposes major challenges for care of cancer patients.

Objectives

Our aim was to assess the effects of the pandemic on treatment and appointments of patients with malignant melanoma based on a large skin cancer centre in Berlin, Germany, and identify reasons for, and impact factors associated with these changes.

Materials & Methods

Patients with melanoma treated from January 1st 2019 received a postal survey with questions on impairment due to the pandemic, fear of COVID-19, fear of melanoma, changes in therapy and/or appointments, including reasons for the changes. Impact factors on postponed/missed appointments were examined using descriptive analyses and multivariate logistic regression.

Results

The response rate was 41.3% (n = 324; 57.4% males; mean age: 67.9 years). Among 104 participants currently receiving therapy, four (3.8%) reported treatment changes due to the pandemic. Postponements or cancellations of appointments occurred in 48 participants (14.8%), most frequently, at their own request (81.3%) due to fear of SARS-CoV-2 infection (68.8%). Current treatment was associated with a reduced chance of postponing/missing appointments (OR = 0.208, p = 0.003), whereas a high or very high level of concern for COVID-19 (OR = 6.806, p = 0.034; OR = 10.097, p = 0.038), SARS-CoV-2 infection among close acquaintances (OR = 4.251, p = 0.026), anxiety disorder (OR = 5.465, p = 0.016) and AJCC stage IV (OR = 3.108, p = 0.048) were associated with a higher likelihood of postponing/missing appointments.

Conclusion

Among our participants, treatment changes were rare and the proportion of missed/delayed appointments was rather small. The main reasons for delays/cancellations of appointments were anxiety and concern for COVID-19.

Supplementary data

Supplementary data associated with this article can be found, in the online version, at doi:10.1684/ejd.2021.4098.

Table S1. Disease and treatment characteristics and their association with postponed/missed appointments.

Table S2. Treatment changes or postponement due to the pandemic.

Table S3. Comorbidities and their association with postponed/missed appointments.

Fig. S1. Number of new SARS-CoV-2 infections per day in Germany and Berlin between February 1st 2020 and July 1st 2020.

Key words: anxiety, cancer, COVID-19, melanoma, pandemic, SARS-CoV-2

Supplementary Material

Appendix (334KB, pdf)

Footnotes

Disclosures

Financial support: none. Conflict of interests: M.-L. Schaarschmidt has been an advisor and/or received speakers’ honoraria and/or received grants and/or participated in clinical trials of the following companies: AbbVie, Almirall, Biogen Inc., Böhringer-Ingelheim, Celgene, Janssen-Cilag, Eli Lilly, Merck Serono, MSD, Novartis Pharma and UCB.

J. Weilandt obtained speaker’s honoraria from Novartis. B. Sasama participated in clinical trials from Array Biopharma, Janssen-Cilag, MSD and Sandoz and obtained financial support for participation in conferences from Janssen-Cilag.

J. Ohletz served as investigator for Novartis and received financial support for participation in conferences from Janssen-Cilag and Novartis.

W. Harth was a member of advisory boards of Novartis, obtained honoraria from Novartis and LEO Pharma, and received support for conferences from AbbVie, Almirall Hermal, Beiersdorf, Dermo Medical, Biofrontera, Celegene, Dermapharm, Dr. Pfleger, Galderma, Hexal, Janssen-Cilag, Jenapharm, Kosmetik vom Waßerfall, LEO Pharma, Medac, Novartis and Pfizer.

U. Hillen served as investigator for Magnosco and Novartis, was a member of advisory boards of Novartis and Takeda, obtained honoraria from AbbVie, Novartis and OmniaMed, and received support for conferences from Almirall Hermal, Amgen, Biofrontera, BMS, L’Oreal, MSD, Novartis, Roche, Pierre Fabre and Takeda.

W. K. Peitsch served as investigator for AbbVie, Array Biopharma, Boehringer Ingelheim, Eli Lilly, Janssen-Cilag, MSD, Novartis, Pfizer and UCB Pharma, was a member of advisory boards of BMS, Eli Lilly, LEO Pharma, MSD, Novartis, Pfizer, Roche and UCB Pharma, obtained honoraria from ALK-Abello, AbbVie, Biotest, BMS, Janssen-Cilag, MSD, Novartis, Pfizer, Dr. Pfleger and Roche, and received support for conferences from AbbVie, Actelion, ALK-Abello, Alma Lasers, Almirall Hermal, ARC Lasers, Asclepion, Beiersdorf, BMS, Celgene, Dermapharm, Dermasence, Eli Lilly, Galderma, GSK, Immunocore, Janssen-Cilag, L’Oreal, La Roche Posay, LEO Pharma, Medac, MSD, Mylan, Novartis, Pierre Fabre, P&M Cosmetics, Pfizer, Roche, Sanofi and Sun Pharma. M. Teuscher, K. Diehl and A. Könnecke declare no conflicts of interest.

The study was performed without support from the pharmaceutical industry, and the conflicts of interest have no impact on the content of the manuscript.

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Associated Data

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Supplementary Materials

Appendix (334KB, pdf)

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