OGC P29 Influence of COVID-19 lockdown and socioeconomic deprivation on the outcomes of gastric cancer - A National study

Abstract Background COVID-19 has significantly disrupted cancer care. This has impacted on staging, management and survival of gastric cancer as health services worldwide had to adapt. Responding to the pandemic, the UK government declared a national lockdown on 23 March 2020. Our aim was to determine the impact of COVID-19 and socio-economic deprivation on patients with newly diagnosed gastric cancers. Methods This was a retrospective cohort study. Consecutive new patients presenting in NHS Scotland to five regional OG cancer MDTs covering 93.2% of the Scottish population between October 2019 and September 2020 were identified. Gastric cancers were included and electronic health records were reviewed. Patient's residential address was used to calculate Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD). Patients were divided into two groups: most deprived (SIMD 1–5) and least deprived (SIMD 6–10) and results compared. The study period was divided into pre- and post-lockdown, based on the first UK national lockdown of 23 March 2020. Results 269 patients were diagnosed with gastric cancer; 4 (1.5%) were excluded due to unrecognised postcode. 173 (65.3%) were male and the median age was 73 years (range 29–94). 143 (54.0%) were in most deprived and 122 (46.0%) were in least deprived group. Deprivation and lockdown: Age, sex, ECOG performance status and route of referral were not significantly different. No clinically meaningful difference in median time to gastroscopy was observed (16.5 vs 17 days). Stage 4 cancer were more commonly observed in most deprived group (60.8% vs 52.1%). In whole cohort, the palliative care intent was higher post-lockdown (70% vs 83.2%, p=0.033). Palliative intent treatment increased in the most deprived group from 74.3% to 81.2% and in least deprived from 65.2% to 85.7% (p=0.092). The median survival for the whole cohort decreased post-lockdown (9.0 vs 6.9 months, p=0.14), but did not reach statistical significance. The medial survival did not change for the most deprived group (7.6 vs 7.1 months, p=0.840), however it decreased significantly for the least deprived group post-lockdown (11 vs 6.7 months, p=0.014). A test of heterogeneity between lockdown period and SIMD group supported the suggestion that the least deprived cohort did worse post-lockdown (HR 1.72, p=0.055). Conclusions This national study highlights that the least deprived patients had survival advantage pre-lockdown, which has been completely lost post COVID-19 national lockdown. This disproportional impact on the least deprived patients could be because early cancers were not diagnosed in the least deprived population.