A study found that the number of cancer deaths in the UK could rise significantly due to the lack of diagnosis and treatment due to the corona crisis. Scientists warn of a similarly dramatic side effect of the pandemic in Germany.
According to researchers, around 20 percent more newly diagnosed cancer patients could die in the UK in the next twelve months than during this period. The scientists come to this estimate because of the sharp decline in activities in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer.
Analysis of data from major cancer centers in the UK showed that the number of urgent referrals by general practitioners for cancer was down 76 percent. The number of chemotherapy appointments shrank by 60 percent compared to the pre-pandemic level.
Up to 18,000 additional victims
According to the study, around 31,000 people with newly diagnosed cancer would die within a normal year. Scientists at University College London (UCL) and the research center on treatment data for cancer patients, DATA-CAN, estimate that the number of diagnoses and treatments that have dropped may rise to almost 6,300. If all people currently living with cancer are included, the number of additional deaths could increase to around 18,000.
The results showed the “significant potential for unintended consequences” of the response to the Covid-19 pandemic, said the study’s lead author, Alvina Lai of the UCL Institute of Health Informatics, said. Measures to contain the virus could have a negative impact on patients with cancer and other diseases. It is crucial that these patients be recognized as a risk group and treated accordingly, Lai said.
German doctors warn
The task force of the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), the German Cancer Aid and the German Cancer Society have not yet identified any threatening supply shortages in Germany due to the corona crisis. “But we are now also realizing that the supply system is noticeably stressed and that the restrictions due to the crisis situation can have negative effects for cancer patients,” says Gerde Nettekoven, head of the German Cancer Aid.
Urgent treatments were only postponed in individual cases, according to a press release from the Task Force, but there were “severe restrictions in all parts of Germany for the diagnosis of cancer and early detection examinations. Patients avoided visiting the doctor even for fear of a Covid-19 infection.
“Suspension of early detection and clarification measures can only be tolerated for a short period of time, otherwise tumors may only be recognized at an advanced stage with a poorer prognosis,” said Michael Baumann, CEO of the German Cancer Research Center. “We are currently seeing that people do not have symptoms clarified by a doctor, but patients should not be afraid to visit doctors and hospitals even during the Covid 19 pandemic.”
The cancer information service of the DKFZ (0800 – 420 30 40/[email protected]) and the cancer information network of the German Cancer Aid (0800 – 80 70 88 77/[email protected]) have been providing additional information since the beginning of the Covid 19 pandemic Information is available for cancer patients.
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