Changes in urological cancer surgical volume and length of stay during the COVID-19 pandemic in Pennsylvania

Disruption in cancer surgery during the COVID-19 pandemic led to widespread deferrals and cancellations, creating a surgical backlog that presents a challenge for health care moving into the recovery phase of the pandemic. A cohort study of all inpatient, outpatient, and ambulatory surgery encounters in the state of Pennsylvania between the first quarter of 2016 and the second quarter of 2021, comprising 24 001 patients, found that the volume of lower-priority urologic cancer surgical procedures significantly decreased during peak waves of COVID-19 infection. Postoperative length of stay for partial nephrectomy decreased as well. The authors conclude that during the peak waves of the COVID-19 pandemic, urological cancer surgery volume was predominantly reduced for low-priority cases, with reduced hospital length of stay for some surgical procedures.