Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Cancer Diagnosis in Madrid (Spain) - Based on the RTMAD Tumor Registry (2019–2021)

Sep 24, 2026

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic disrupted cancer diagnosis, treatment, and prevention worldwide, with potential near-term consequences. In Madrid, the study assesses the backlog impact across 2020–2021 and examines whether diagnoses shifted toward advanced stages. RTMAD registry data from 2019–2021 were analyzed using absolute/percentage volume differences and observed-to-expected ratios, including standardized incidence ratios and 95% confidence intervals.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages13

Reading Time33 min

AccessFree to download

Simple Summary

Abstract

Study scope and outcomes

Key findings by cancer type

cancers Article Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Cancer Diagnosis in Madrid (Spain) Based on the RTMAD Tumor Registry (2019–2021) Gregorio Garrido-Cantero 1, Federico Longo 1,2,3,4, Javier Hern¡ndez-Gonz¡lez 1,5, 􀂁ngel Pueyo 6,7, Tom¡s Fern¡ndez-Aparicio 8, Juan F. Dorado 9, Javier C. Angulo 10,11, * and on behalf of the Madrid Cancer Registry (RTMAD) Investigators † Citation: Garrido-Cantero, G.; Longo, F.; Hernández-González, J.; Pueyo, Á.; Fernández-Aparicio, T.; Dorado, J.F.; Angulo, J.C.; on behalf of the Madrid Cancer Registry (RTMAD) Investigators. Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Cancer Diagnosis in Madrid (Spain) Based on the RTMAD Tumor Registry (2019–2021) . Cancers 2023, 15, 1753 . [https://doi.org/10.3390/](https://doi.org/10.3390/)[ ](https://doi.org/10.3390/)cancers15061753 Academic Editors: Luis Montuenga, Elena Castro and Antonio Maraver Received: 3 December 2022 Revised: 4 March 2023 Accepted: 10 March 2023 Published: 14 March 2023 Copyright: © 2023 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license ([https://](https://)[ ](https://)[creativecommons.org/licenses/by/](creativecommons.org/licenses/by/)[ ](creativecommons.org/licenses/by/)[4.0/](4.0/)) . 1 Oﬁcina Regional de Coordinaciân Oncolâgica, Consejer½a de Sanidad, Comunidad de Madrid, Paseo de la Castellana 280, 28046 Madrid, Spain 2 Centro de Investigaciân Biom²dica en Red de C¡ncer (CIBERONC), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Monforte de Lemos 3-5, 28029 Madrid, Spain 3 Instituto Ramân y Cajal de Investigaciân Sanitaria (IRYCIS), Hospital Universitario Ramân y Cajal, M-607, 28034 Madrid, Spain 4 Departamento de Medicina, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Alcal¡, Pl. de San Diego, s/n, 28801 Alcal¡ de Henares, Spain 5 Departamento Cl½nico, Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad Alfonso X el Sabio, Avda. de la Universidad, 1 Villanueva de la Cañada, 28691 Madrid, Spain 6 Fundaciân para la Investigaciân e Innovaciân Biom²dica (FIIB) de los Hospitales Universitarios Infanta Leonor y Sureste, 28003 Madrid, Spain 7 C¡tedra de I+D+i Biom²dica, Universidad Catâlica San Antonio de Murcia, Guadalupe de Maciascoque, 30107 Murcia, Spain 8 Servicio de Urolog½a, Hospital General Universitario Morales Meseguer, Av. Marqu²s de los V²lez s/n, 30008 Murcia, Spain 9 PeRTICA An¡lisis Estad½sticos, Av. Leonardo Da Vinci, 8, Getafe, 28906 Madrid, Spain 10 Departamento Cl½nico, Facultad de Ciencias M²dicas, Universidad Europea, 28005 Madrid, Spain 11 Servicio de Urolog½a, Hospital Universitario de Getafe, 28905 Madrid, Spain * [Correspondence: javier.angulo@salud.madrid.org](Correspondence: javier.angulo@salud.madrid.org) † Collaborators of the Madrid Cancer Registry (RTMAD) Investigators is provided in the Supplementary Materials. Simple Summary: The COVID-19 pandemic has caused a signiﬁcant disruption to cancer diagnosis, treatment and prevention. According to standardized incidence ratios, the large volume of undetected cancer cases related to the COVID-19 pandemic in Madrid has not returned yet to the reference levels. Breast and lung cancer screening programs have recovered completely, but other very prevalent malignancies including colorectal, prostate or bladder cancer still remain severely impacted. These ﬁgures may have serious consequences in the future regarding both cancer control and survival. In order to mitigate the long-term consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic strategies to recover the backlog of diagnoses need be considered. Abstract: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has caused a signiﬁcant disruption to cancer diagnosis, treatment and prevention worldwide that could have serious consequences in the near future. We intend to evaluate the weight of this backlog on a community-wide scale in Madrid during the period 2020–2021, and whether a stage

FAQs

What disruption did the COVID-19 pandemic cause regarding cancer care in Madrid?

It significantly disrupted cancer diagnosis, treatment, and prevention. Standardized incidence ratios indicate the undetected cancer backlog in Madrid had not yet returned to pre-pandemic reference levels.

Which years and data source were used to evaluate the backlog impact?

Cancer diagnoses from the Madrid Tumor Registry (RTMAD) covering 2019–2021 were evaluated, with the backlog impact assessed on a community-wide scale for 2020–2021.

Did the study find changes in cancer diagnosis recovery across cancer types?

Yes. Breast and lung screening recovered completely, while other common malignancies such as colorectal, prostate, and bladder cancers remained severely impacted, affecting both volumes and future cancer control risks.

Sep 24, 2026

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