Page 126 - Portuguese Journal - SPORL - Vol 61. Nº1

Table 1
Demographic and clinical characteristics of the patients in the two groups: A and B

Group A Group B
Characteristic (Pre-COVID-19) (Post-COVID-19) p-value
n = 77 (43,5%) n = 100 (56,5%)
Sex, n (%)
Female 8 (10,4) 16 (16,0) 0,280
Male 69 (89,6) 84 (84,0)
Age (years), M (SD) 61,16 (13,6) 63,39 (13,1) 0,157
Functional capacity, median (IQR)
ECOG 1 (0) 1 (0) 0,126
Karnofsky 8 (1) 9 (1) 0,035
Chi-square test, Fisher’s test, Mann-Whitney test and t-test for independent samples were used.
Abbreviations: n, number of cases; M, mean; SD, standard deviation; IQR, interquartile range; ECOG, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group
Table 2
Characteristics related to the clinical presentation and type of tumor

Group A Group B
Characteristic (Pre-COVID-19) (Post-COVID-19) p value*
n = 77 n = 100
Presenting sign/symptom, n (%)
Dysphonia 16 (20,8) 33 (33,0)
Odynophagia 19 (24,7) 25 (25,0)
Cervical mass 14 (18,2) 14 (14,0) 0,254
Oral lesion 9 (11,7) 5 (5,0)
Other 19 (24,7) 23 (23,0)
Location of first evaluation, n (%)
Emergency department 39 (50,6) 54 (54,0) 0,905
Primary health care 27 (35,1) 33 (33,0)
Secondary health care 11 (14,3) 13 (13,0)
Tumor site, n (%)
Larynx 22 (28,5) 32 (32,0)
Oropharynx 20 (26,0) 30 (30,0)
Oral cavity 11 (14,3) 6 (6,0)
Hypopharynx 6 (7,8) 13 (13,0) 0,532
Nasopharynx 5 (6,5) 6 (6,0)
Nasal cavity and PNS 6 (7,8) 6 (6,0)
Other 7 (9,1) 7 (7,0)
Histological type, n (%)
Squamous cell carcinoma 65 (84,4) 86 (86,0) 0,768
Other 12 (15,6) 14 (14,0)

* Chi-square test
Abbreviation: PNS, paranasal sinus

significantly higher than in the pre-COVID-19 Primary treatment
group (A=60.3%; B=75.8%) (p=0.031), as was the Most patients in both groups underwent
proportion of patients with advanced regional treatment with curative intent (A=82%;
lymph node involvement (N3) (A=9.3%; B=24.5%) B=83%). There was a statistically significant
(p=0.009). On the other hand, there were no difference in the proportion of patients who
statistically significant differences between the underwent treatment with palliative intent
two groups with regard to the proportion of between the two groups (A=14%; B=4%)
patients with distant metastases (p=0.09). (p=0.016). Additionally, a higher proportion of

126 Portuguese Journal of Otorhinolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery