Published on : 03/11/2020 – 16:26Modified : 03/11/2020 – 16:24
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Paris (AFP)
Get informed but above all do not interrupt your treatment: the League against cancer answers questions from patients worried about the spread of the new coronavirus and the increased risks they have of contracting this viral infection.
“You are in treatment. Many of these treatments can lower your immune defenses and weaken you. However, you should not interrupt your treatment, talk to your doctor,” recommends La Ligue, which welcomes and informs “tens of thousands of people “who have developed cancer.
The association notably has a toll-free number (0800 940 939) and a forum space on its site (ligue-cancer.net) to answer their questions.
If the treatments take place at home, “restrict outings and visits”. “Otherwise, your treatment team will make the appropriate prescriptions for your transport and treatment at the health center,” she said in a statement.
The League knows that, “in the current worry about the spread of pneumonia to Covid-19”, “people in treatment for cancer can suffer a double penalty, that of their disease and those of the increased risks linked to viral infection “, underlines professor Axel Kahn, president of The League.
For people undergoing post-cancer care without an evolving sign, these are “the same risks as the general population, especially those related to age”. They must comply “strictly” with the instructions of the health authorities, in particular the “barrier” gestures (hand hygiene, etc., note).
For people following post-cancer support care, in particular in the centers, spaces and branches of the League: “if the premises are in active epidemic centers, a temporary interruption is preferable”.
She also recommends that they do not go to open premises if they have clinical signs, even moderate (colds, coughs, fever, increased fatigue, etc.).
In addition to the toll-free number, patients can obtain information from the telephone numbers of the association’s departmental committees.
According to the National Cancer Institute, the number of new cases in 2018 in mainland France is estimated at 382,000. The number of people with cancer today in France is around 1.4 million, according to La Ligue.
© 2020 AFP
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