Study Protocol

Background:

The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has had an unprecedented impact on healthcare systems, with nearparalysis of non-COVID-related services during the peak of the pandemic. Pancreatic cancer is aggressive, often presenting late, with the majority of patients presenting with unresectable disease. With service disruption caused by the pandemic, there are concerns that patients with pancreatic cancer did not received optimal treatment.

The impact is currently unknown, but may have led to delays in diagnosis, modified chemotherapy regimens, [more-rapid] disease progression, and some patients offered no treatment at all. It is essential to understand the impact of these alterations to diagnosis and treatment caused by the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic for this COVID-generation of patients in anticipation of a second-surge, or future pandemics.

Aim:

To assess the impact of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic on newly diagnosed pancreatic cancer patients across the UK. Primary objective: To assess the rate of receipt of chemotherapy at 6 and 12 months from diagnosis during the peak of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, compared to pre-pandemic rates.

Secondary objective:

To assess 6 and 12 month outcomes for patients with newly diagnosed pancreatic cancer during the peak of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic compared to pre-pandemic outcomes for: overall mortality, rate of disease progression, changes to treatment offered, receipt of chemotherapy/chemoradiotherapy regimens (neo-adjuvant, adjuvant and palliative), rates of surgery and unintended bypass, and time to diagnosis and treatment.

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