Covid has had a “catastrophic” impact on cancer treatments and “a crisis is developing,” the World Health Organization warned.
Millions of people across Europe have seen their scans or treatment delayed due to blockages to control the coronavirus pandemic in 2020.
As a result, many will start treatment later, when their disease is more advanced and harder to treat, which means they are more likely to die from it or become disabled.
Dr Hans Kluge, WHO’s regional director for Europe, said: “Due to travel restrictions and enormous pressure on health systems in the fight against Covid-19, cancer services have been disrupted throughout the region, significantly delaying diagnosis and treatment. , having a direct impact on the chances of cure or survival for hundreds of thousands of cancer patients.
More people will die in the coming years, especially from breast and bowel cancer, for which screening schedules have been postponed, he said.
Dr Kluge’s comments echo concerns raised last year by cancer charities in the UK, which said closing patients in the spring would lead to a time bomb for cancer.
With the exception of urgent appointments and emergency treatment, many hospital services were closed in the first blockade in 2020, in preparation for an increase in patients with Covid. It took months for the NHS to get back on its feet, and during that time the number of people waiting for routine operations rose to a record 4.46 million.
Macmillan Cancer Support has sounded the alarm for months that hundreds of thousands of fewer meetings to discuss suspected cancer occurred during the pandemic, meaning an increasing number of people are living undiagnosed.
Dr Hans Kluge, WHO Regional Director for Europe, said cancer services had been disrupted throughout the WHO European region, significantly delaying diagnosis and treatment, with a direct impact on the chances of cure or survival for hundreds of thousands of patients. with cancer.
Public health data in England suggest 14% fewer people than expected to have had radiation therapy for cancer this year, Macmillan Cancer Support warned. Decreases in 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 be.
Dr Kluge said in a statement yesterday: “At the Kyrgyz National Oncology Center, the number of cancer cases diagnosed in April last year has fallen by 90%, while in the Netherlands and Belgium, in the first blockade of 2020, it has fallen. by 30-40 percent.
“Delayed diagnosis and treatment in the UK are expected to lead to an increase in the number of colorectal deaths [bowel] cancer by 15% and 9% for breast cancer in the next 5 years.
“There is a crisis of non-communicable diseases, including cancer, caused by the pandemic.”
Fears of Covid patients overwhelming NHS hospitals engulfed politicians last spring, when they saw wards in Italy full of virus patients.
As a result, most “non-essential” health care has been suspended so that the health service can direct its efforts to prepare for coronavirus.
Even patients who have not had their appointments or surgeries canceled have been too scared to show up for fear of catching a coronavirus or putting more strain on the NHS.
A&E visits to England fell by about half in the first blockade – partly because people stayed home and were less likely to be injured, and partly because some people were delaying receiving medical care.
This has since seeped into an increase in the number of people dying in their own homes.
While noncovide deaths in hospitals fell below average last year, deaths at home rose. Experts say this may be due to people avoiding 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 in the same period in 2019, a decrease of 19%.
The number of people starting cancer treatment is also significantly lower than average.
Cancer services in the UK have been disrupted by the large number of people who have been hospitalized with Covid-19. Currently, over 30,000 people with the disease are in hospital wards across the country
In November, the latest NHS data, with 1,200 fewer people than expected, began cancer treatment – 25,074 compared to the usual 26,300.
And the number of people who started cancer treatment after a routine screening schedule decreased by 29% compared to 2019, to 1,337.
Screening schedules also had to be postponed, meaning thousands of people missed regular breast, cervical or bowel tests to try to catch the cancer early, which is crucial for improving survival rates.
Public Health England data also showed that the number of people receiving radiation therapy for cancer fell by 14% below average during the crisis.
The decrease in treatments and appointments is not because fewer people suffer from cancer, but because they do not go to doctors or hospitals when they should be.
Macmillan’s chief policy officer, Sara Bainbridge, said: “It is essential that cancer does not become ‘forgotten’ in this pandemic.
“We need to look at government measures to make sure that cancer services are protected in the winter and in this second wave.”
Dr Kluge explained: “Some countries have experienced shortages of cancer drugs and many have seen a significant decline in new cancer diagnoses – even the most resource-rich countries.
“Oncology health personnel were required just before the pandemic. The high cost of cancer drugs and treatments is a challenge for all countries, including high-income ones.
“Pre-existing inequalities are also growing due to the economic crisis, making it more difficult for many to adopt healthy behaviors or have access to prevention or care services.
“The impact of the pandemic on cancer in the region is nothing but catastrophic. It made us realize the real human cost of neglecting a noncommunicable disease, such as cancer.
“This is our wake-up call, from grassroots to governments, to fight cancer together.”