The Impact of and Adaptations Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Histopathological Diagnosis of Skin Pathologies, Including Non-Melanocyte and Melanoma Skin Cancers—A Single-Center Study in Romania

• Main Authors: Iuliu-Gabriel Cocuz, Maria-Elena Cocuz, Raluca Niculescu, Mihaela Cornelia Șincu, Andreea Cătălina Tinca, Adrian-Horațiu Sabău, Diana Maria Chiorean, Silviu Horia Morariu, Ovidiu Simion Cotoi
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2021-05-01
• Series: Medicina
• Subjects: COVID-19 pandemic; non-melanocytic cancers; histopathology
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/1648-9144/57/6/533
• ISSN: 1010-660X; 1648-9144

<i>Background and Objectives</i>: The COVID-19 pandemic has globally affected health systems and services. Non-melanoma skin cancers (NMSCs) are the most common malignancies around the world. This study aimed to analyze the differences in the benign and malignant histopathological diagnoses performed on radical excision skin tumors and skin biopsies in the dermatopathology ward in Mures Clinical County Hospital, Targu Mures, Romania, 1 year prior to and during the COVID-19 pandemic, to emphasize the changes in the diagnostic process as per the new regulations. <i>Materials and Methods:</i> A total of 1168 histopathological diagnoses were included in the study—302 from the COVID-19 period and 866 from the non-COVID-19 period—considering the number, type, and frequency of the histopathological diagnoses as variables to be analyzed. <i>Results</i>: In the COVID-19 period, out of the 55 NMSC and melanoma histopathological diagnoses, 50.9% (<i>n</i> = 28) were BCCs, 20% (<i>n</i> = 11) were SCCs, 10.9% (<i>n</i> = 6) were basosquamous cell carcinomas, and 18.18% (<i>n</i> = 10) were melanoma cases. Regarding the non-COVID-19 period, out of the 173 NMSC and melanoma histopathological diagnoses, 46.82% (<i>n</i> = 81) were BCCs, 22.54% (<i>n</i> = 39) were SCCs, 7.51% (<i>n</i> = 13) were basosquamous cell carcinomas, and 23.12% (<i>n</i> = 40) were melanoma cases. <i>Conclusions:</i> During the COVID-19 pandemic, a decrease in histopathological diagnoses at the dermatopathology ward in our hospital was observed, for both benign and malignant pathologies, especially for NMSCs and melanomas, compared to the same period 1 year prior to the pandemic.