National Cancer Awareness Day 2020: COVID-19 and Its Impact on Cancer Screening, Treatment, Susceptibility & Psyche of Patients
On National Cancer Awareness Day, there is an urgent need to discuss the impact COVID-19 made on cancer screening, treatment, susceptibility & psyche of patients and survivors.
Ever since COVID-19 spread its wings, our lives took a U-turn. It made us adapt to a new world, we never imagined would exist. However, major attention in the scenario was grabbed by economic shift, lifestyle changes and of course the well-being of those affected by a coronavirus. An immensely affected section, i.e. people with comorbidities and other major health issues became a massive subject of concern. The virus took a toll on their health making them more susceptible to the disease. On National Cancer Awareness Day, there is an urgent need to discuss the impact COVID-19 made on cancer screening, treatment, susceptibility & psyche of patients and survivors.
COVID-19 & Cancer Screenings
Along with other aspects of cancer care, the first and primitive areas to be hit due to the coronavirus pandemic was cancer screening. To slow down the spread of COVID-19 in healthcare settings that were known hotspots of coronavirus, new cancer diagnoses declined drastically, according to research. Delayed cancer screenings have been one of the major issues and it only spiralled downwards. More number of cancers were being diagnosed at later stages posing difficulty in terms of treatment.
Asymptomatic COVID-19 Patients Undergoing Chemotherapy
Researchers also found out that about one-third of patients undergoing chemo or radiation in a study tested positive for coronavirus and they were asymptomatic. About 109 cancer patients were tested who were undergoing treatment, such as radiation and chemotherapy and about one-third were diagnosed with COVID-19 with almost 80% of them being asymptomatic, which further challenges treatment.
COVID-19 and Cancer Treatment
The COVID-19 pandemic has made cancer treatment a challenge making it more difficult for patients as well as the caregivers. The lockdown and social distancing made treatments difficult. Operations and other therapy sessions were postponed. The most primitive measure to being treated, cancer screening took a backseat. Even the people on clinical trials with advanced and recurrent cancers faced major difficulties in terms of receiving treatment.
Cancer Patients and COVID-19 Susceptibility
It is no news that cancer patients are at a greater risk of contracting COVID-19 because of a compromised immune system when compared to the general population. Cancer and its treatments take a major toll on the immune system, making patients more susceptible to COVID-19. Even with the case of survivors with a recovered immune system, the degree of recovery can vary. It was revealed by a study in China found that cancer patients had a mortality rate of 5.6 percent, much higher compared to the general population.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 06, 2020 08:20 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).