COVID selfishness hurting cancer patients
Fallout on health system creates array of issues writes Reanne Booker.
When it comes to restrictions imposed on the public due to the COVID-19 pandemic, I have often heard people comment that they have not personally known anyone who has had COVID-19. The lack of a personal connection to the pandemic may be the reason some Canadians do not consider the threat of COVID-19 to be real.
However, while it may be true that many people do not personally know of someone who has had COVID-19, I doubt that the same could be said for cancer.
The most recent projections estimate that one in two Canadians will develop cancer in their lifetime and more than 225,000 Canadians will be diagnosed with cancer in 2020. Many of those who have been diagnosed with cancer this year are likely undergoing, or have recently undergone, treatment for cancer.
As hospitals and intensive care units (ICUS) become full across Canada, cancer surgeries are at risk of being postponed. Further, certain cancer treatments, such as blood stem cell/ bone marrow transplant or chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy, are often associated with complications that require ICU care. Lack of ICU availability means that these curative-intent treatments may not be an option for those who need them.
I cannot imagine the anxiety and distress that would come with being told that one's cancer surgery or treatment has been postponed because hospitals and ICUS are at capacity. Moreover, cancer screening, such as mammography and Pap testing, has declined during the pandemic, in part due to cancellations or postponement of diagnostic screening tests but also because people are afraid of possible exposure to COVID-19. Delaying a cancer diagnosis may mean that when the cancer is finally detected, it might have progressed significantly and might be more difficult to treat and/or cure.
In addition to the disruptions in cancer care delivery, we know that people who have cancer are at higher risk of adverse outcomes and even death from COVID-19 compared to people who don't have cancer. The current case fatality rate in the general population in Canada is approximately 3.6 per cent, with 11,265 deaths out of 315,751 positive cases. By contrast, a systematic review of 52 studies involving a total of 18,650 patients with both cancer and COVID-19 reported a pooled case fatality rate of 25.6 per cent (95-per-cent confidence interval. 22 per cent to 29.5 per cent).
We know that there are many residents of long-term care (LTC) facilities who have a history of, or who currently have, cancer. COVID-19 has been particularly deadly for residents of LTC facilities in Canada and throughout the world.
The high rates of ongoing transmission of COVID-19 in the community may impact any or all of the above. So if you don't wish to follow the public health recommendations because you personally do not know anyone who has had COVID-19, I ask to you to please think of those who have had cancer, as it seems that even having had cancer in the past increases the risk of adverse outcomes with COVID-19. Think of those who currently have cancer. Think of those who may have a loved one, including a child, with cancer.
Now ask yourself: Am I doing enough to protect them?