Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on cytopathology services in the West of Ireland

There was a statistically significant increase in the proportion of non-gynaecological cytology diagnosed as malignant in 2020 compared with 2019 (Pearson χ2=6.56, p=0.012, OR 1.312, 95% CI 1.065 to 1.615) (table 3). The absolute volume of malignant cytology remained similar in 2020 compared with 2019 (242 in 2019, 222 in 2020—a decrease of just 22 cases).Table 3 Proportions of malignancy cytology in the most encountered specimen types in 2019 and 2020 Specimen type 2019 2020 Proportion change from 2019 to 2020 (%) P value (χ2 analysis) Thyroid 7/228 (3%) 3/193 (1.5%) 1.5 0.355 Lung 127/616 (20.6%) 92/352 (26.1%) 5.5 0.055 Neck NOS 31/77 (40.2%) 20/53 (37.7%) 2.5 0.856 Salivary gland 13/73 (17.8%) 15/61 (24.5%) 6.7 0.396 Overall 242/1170 (20.6%) 222/871 (25.4%) 4.8 0.012 NOS, not otherwise specified. Overall, BAL cytology cases fell by 55.6% (n=223) in 2020 compared with 2019.Table 4 Bronchoalveolar lavage cytology in 2019 and 2020 Year N Caseload positive for malignancy (% (n)) P value for difference in proportions of malignant cases between years OR (95% CI) 2020 172 11.6% (n=20) 0.277 1.397 (0.779 to 2.505) 2019 395 8.6% (n=34) In UHG there has been a clear reduction in the caseload of FNA and exfoliative non-gynaecological cytology in 2020 compared with 2019. Contributors All authors were involved in the analysis and/or acquisition of data for the project, either drafting the work or revising it critically and approving the final version of the paper and agree that any questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved.