Backlog of Cancer Treatment and Diagnosis in COVID-19 Can Affect Cancer Survival

Unlike the COVID-19 pandemic, the cancer pandemic has been rampant for centuries, but it also afflicts people around the world. In 2020 alone 19 million people Cancer is diagnosed worldwide, and about 10 million people die from cancer every year.

COVID-19 Pandemic Catastrophic There were more than 481 million confirmed cases and 6.1 million deaths among people infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

The number of people who became ill or died due to unintended consequences of pandemic measures has not yet been identified, but these are Invisible cost There seems to be a considerable part of COVID-19 measures.

I am a cancer doctor and a researcher in medical services. My team has discovered new evidence to help count the invisible costs of the COVID-19 pandemic for cancer pandemics.

Cancer results

For people with cancer, the direct consequences of a pandemic involve potentially significant risks. Severe COVID-19 infection.. Indirect results include delayed diagnosis of cancer, postponement of testing, and delayed treatment. For example, in Ontario, the biopsy required to diagnose skin cancer in the early stages of a pandemic has been reduced by a factor of seven. Backlog of over 45,000 cases 6 months left.

Significant reductions in cancer diagnosis and cancer surgery have been observed throughout Canada and internationally. For example, in Ontario 34% decrease With cancer diagnosis 60% drop Cancer surgery at the start of the 2020 pandemic. Of greatest concern is the slow recovery of cancer services after the blockade, leading to delays in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer patients.

Many of these delays in diagnosis and treatment result.. Affects quality of life mental health While waiting for care. Waiting for cancer treatment can exacerbate symptoms, Progress to a more advanced stage In some cases. Treatment of more advanced cancers can have more side effects and may not be as successful.

Delayed treatment and survival

To provide evidence that guides the response of the healthcare system to cancer delays in the midst of a pandemic, our unit conducted a study of high-quality evidence of the effects of cancer treatment delays on survival.

I used the information from above 1.2 million cancer patients From 34 quality studies on 17 conditions in which surgery, radiation or systemic therapy are routinely used. We investigated seven types of cancer: bladder, breast, cervix, colon, rectum, lungs, and head and neck. These cancers represent 44% of all cancers diagnosed worldwide each year. We measured the survival effects for each 4-week delay.

Our report was published in BMJ It was found that for all seven types of cancer, even a 4-week delay may be associated with reduced survival.For example, breast, colon, bladder, and head and neck cancer surgery was associated with increased mortality. 6-8 percent for every 4 week delay.. Gender, aging, and socio-economic factors were often associated with waiting time disparities. The greater the delay, the greater the impact on survival.

What does this really mean? The McGill University and Canadian Partnership Against Cancer (CPAC) teams have developed a model using information from our study of treatment delays and survival.They said that between 2020 and 2030, the cancer treatment turmoil during the COVID-19 pandemic was about. Another 20,000 Deaths from Cancer in Canada..

Given that the pandemic was affected Global cancer treatment More than 19 million people are diagnosed with cancer each year outside Canada, and the global additional deaths from delays in cancer treatment can be significant.

Impact on care

Currently, there is standardized information covering all seven cancers and all three major cancer treatment types, showing the association between waiting longer for cancer treatment and worse survival outcomes.If we had a new anti-cancer drug Improved results Just as timely treatment was given in our study, we set social precedents. 5 numbers Per patient for it.

So what do you do? Further research is needed in this area. The effects of delayed cancer treatment on more conditions need to be studied and methods need to be standardized. However, care now has important implications.

Given the huge backlog of pandemic medical services, investment is needed, Federal level.. This is welcomed and important. For example, if the therapeutic capacity increases by 10%, Reduce the impact on expected mortality Pandemic delays in Canada range from about 20,000 to 4,000.

When we are facing other health emergencies, and perhaps Further waves COVID-19 Pandemic You should be careful To extend the waiting time for cancer for reasons unrelated to the patient’s medical needs. The effects of these delays on cancer patients can take years to become apparent, but they are predictable and need to be taken into account in prioritizing and protecting limited health resources. I have.

Keeping hospitals, clinics and staff safe from COVID-19 infections during the pandemic ensures optimal resources for timely diagnosis and cancer treatment. Centralized waiting list and team-based care You can ensure a fair waiting time for treatment for surgery and other services.

Finally, innovations in how care is delivered (eg, Learning the medical system) And the care provided (eg, treatments that require less hospital visits and less human resources) is very important.

It is important to treat patients with cancer pandemics on time during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.