Covid has had a “catastrophic” impact on cancer treatments and is “preparing for a crisis,” the World Health Organization has warned.
Millions of people across Europe saw their scans or treatment delayed due to blockades set to control the coronavirus pandemic by 2020.
As a result, many will start treatment later when their illness is more advanced and more difficult to treat, meaning they are more likely to die from the disease or become disabled.
Dr. Hans Kluge, WHO’s regional director for Europe, said: “Due to travel restrictions and enormous pressure on Covid-19 health care systems, cancer services are they have been disrupted throughout the region, which has significantly delayed diagnosis and treatment, directly affecting the chances of cure or survival for hundreds of thousands of cancer patients. “
Many more people died in the coming years, mostly from breast and bowel cancer, for which screening appointments have been postponed, he said.
Dr Kluge’s comments echo concerns raised last year by UK charities, which said closing patients in the spring would lead to a cancer time bomb.
Except for urgent appointments and emergency treatment, many hospital services were closed in the first closure of 2020 in preparation for an increase in patients with Covid. It took the NHS months to get back on its feet, and during that time the number of people waiting for routine operations rose to 4.46 million.
Macmillan Cancer Support has sounded the alarm for months that hundreds of thousands of fewer appointments have taken place to discuss the cancer suspect during the pandemic, meaning a growing number of people are living undiagnosed.
Dr Hans Kluge, WHO’s regional director for Europe, said that “cancer services have been disrupted throughout the WHO European region, which has significantly delayed diagnosis and treatment, affecting directly the chances of cure or survival for hundreds of thousands of cancer patients “.
Health Public England data suggests 14% fewer people were expected to have had cancer radiation therapy this year, Macmillan Cancer Support warned. Discharges from treatments and appointments are not due to fewer people suffering from cancer, but because they do not go to doctors or hospitals when they should.
Dr Kluge said in a statement yesterday: “At the Kyrgyz National Oncology Center, the number of cancers diagnosed in April last year fell by 90%, while in the Netherlands and Belgium, during the first closing of 2020, fell by 30-40 percent.
“Delayed diagnosis and treatment in the UK is expected to lead to an increase in colorectal deaths [bowel] cancer by 15% and 9% for breast cancer over the next 5 years.
“There is a crisis of non-communicable diseases, including cancer, caused by the pandemic.”
Fears of Covid patients overwhelming fully overwhelming NHS hospitals took hold of politicians last spring, when they saw districts in Italy overflowing with virus patients.
As a result, most “non-essential” medical care was suspended so that the health service could direct its efforts toward coronavirus preparation.
It was even found that even patients who did not have their appointments or surgeries canceled were too scared to show up for fear of detecting coronavirus or putting more pressure on the NHS.
A&E visits to England fell by almost half in the first close, partly because people stayed home and were less likely to be injured, and partly because some people stopped receiving medical care.
Since then, this has turned into an increase in the number of people dying in their homes.
Although non-coveted deaths in hospitals fell to below-average levels last year, deaths in households increased. Experts say this may be because people avoided hospitals.
Macmillan Cancer Support said last month that the number of people who saw a cancer doctor between March and November 2020 was 350,000 less than during the same period in 2019, a 19% drop.
The number of people starting cancer treatment is also significantly below average.
Cancer services in the UK have been affected by the huge number of people who have been in hospital with Covid-19. There are currently more than 30,000 people with the disease in hospital wards across the country
In November, the most recent data from the NHS, 1,200 fewer people started cancer treatment than expected: 25,074 compared to the usual 26,300.
And the number of people who started cancer treatment after a routine screening appointment decreased 29% from 2019, to 1,337.
Screening appointments have also had to be postponed, meaning thousands of people have missed regular breast, cervical or bowel tests to try to detect cancer prematurely, which is crucial to improving rates of cancer. survival.
Public Health England data also showed that the number of people receiving radiation therapy for cancer had fallen 14% below average during the crisis.
Discharges from treatments and appointments are not because there are fewer people suffering from cancer, but because they don’t go to doctors or hospitals when they should.
Macmillan chief policy officer Sara Bainbridge said: “It is important that cancer does not become the‘ forgotten C ’of this pandemic.
“We need to see government action to ensure that cancer services are protected during the winter and this second wave.”
Dr Kluge explained: “Some countries have experienced a shortage of cancer drugs and many have seen a significant decrease in new cancer diagnoses, even in resource-rich countries.
“Oncology health personnel were in high demand even before the pandemic. The high cost of cancer drugs and treatments is a challenge for all countries, including those on high incomes.
“Pre-existing inequalities are also growing due to the economic crisis, which makes it more difficult to adopt healthy behaviors or have access to prevention or care services.
‘The impact of the pandemic on cancer in the Region is nothing short of catastrophic. It has made us realize the real human cost of neglecting a noncommunicable disease like cancer.
“This is our call for attention, from the grassroots to governments, to fight cancer together.”