Could Lockdown Lead To Higher Numbers Of Cancer Diagnosis?

Quarantine And Delayed Cancer Screening

Studies have shown, that with the largest portion of the world still in quarantine due to COVID-19, many people are missing their regular cancer screenings and appointments. Because of this, some people may be encountering early symptoms, but they postponing treatment. We’ll discuss this problem in this blog.

As we see the number of COVID-19 cases starting to decrease worldwide, hospitals are preparing for the event of a new and different medical crisis. Medical experts fear that we’ll experience the rise of new cancer cases, advanced-stage diagnoses, and cancer deaths. Throughout the pandemic, while U.S. hospitals and the overall health care system was pushed to the limit, many procedures and appointments were postponed or canceled altogether—some because of federal guidelines, others by patients’ own choice, or other circumstances.  And while orders to stay at home and limited optional procedures have served us to flatten the curve of COVID-19 growth and spread in our population, experts now question if this could result in a new wave of cancer diagnoses in the following months or years.

Postponed Screenings May Leads To A Backlog

As it becomes apparent that the coronavirus was making its way through the U.S., federal health officials and cancer organizations advised people to delay their routine mammograms and colonoscopies. The public has listened to those recommendations, and that, unfortunately, has helped lead to a serious decline in cancer screenings. Arrangements for screenings for cancers of the cervix, colon, and breast were down between 86% and 94% in March when compared to standard volumes in the three years before the first Covid-19 case was diagnosed in the U.S. Still, even as many health systems begin to open their services, delays could stay for couple more months as we see new cases and as hospitals begin to address the accumulation of patients whose plans were postponed.

Precautionary screenings for cervical, colon, and breast cancer plummeted in March, when we compare it with previous years, according to new reports. The numbers came from an electronic medical records company that analyzed 2.7 million patient records across 23 states.

Decreasing Of Cancer Referrals 

“In some cancers, a three-month pause could make all the difference between a tumor being curable or incurable”, said Dr. Singhal. Some models suggest that delaying surgery can lead to a heightened risk of thousands of deaths that could have been prevented. By the end of April, cancer referrals had decreased by approximated 70%. Cancer doctors are having to make difficult decisions to delay some patients' care throughout the coronavirus crisis.

“As normal service resumed, doctors should prioritize certain cancer types in particular”, Dr. Singhal said. Lung and colorectal cancers, for example, are especially fast-moving. But for others, such as prostate and certain breast cancers, treatment could more safely be delayed.

For every 10 Covid-19 patients whose lives were saved in hospital, four cancer patients could die, according to the studies, if all tumor-removal surgeries are delayed by six months. And more than 80,000 of these patients go on to survive for at least five years. But a three-month delay would lead to almost 5,000 excess deaths. A six-month delay could drive to almost 11,000.

Full Impact Of Delayed Screenings Is Still Unclear

“How delays in screenings actually impact ultimate outcomes is uncertain,” says Dr. Singhal. “However, in the presence of early symptoms, it is possible that a delay could lead to a worsening of the symptoms, negatively impact the quality of life, lead to the necessity of more aggressive surgery, and result in a higher stage of the disease.” A comprehensive new study of patients in dozens of hospitals nationwide shows notable drops in the quantities of screenings designed to discover early manifestations of cancer. According to studies, as the pandemic was taking hold nationwide, appointments dropped sharply for patients being screened for breast cancer, colon cancer, and cervical cancer. The study looked at 2.7 million patients from 190 hospitals in 23 states and compared the numbers of weekly screening appointments made from 2017 to 2019 to appointments made during March 2020.

Even After Reopening, The Issue Might Persist

The data implies there is reason to be concerned that cancer screenings may not rebound even as some states begin to reopen their economies. Researchers found an elevated rate of cancellations of cancer screening appointments in the days before mid-March when counties began issuing stay-at-home orders and the American Cancer Society and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended that people delay outpatient care. It’s also fairly reasonable to expect that even once the lockdowns are lifted, we’ll still see the concerned patients a little bit more reluctant to go in for a screening. Unfortunately,  it doesn’t take much to talk a person out of going in for a colonoscopy.