Why You Have To Take A More Aggressive Stance On Cancer
There is emerging evidence, and research is ongoing, but it's beginning to appear that COVID-19 led to an uptick in severe cancer diagnoses.
What's Known and Easy to Find?
After the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the world dealt with more than a highly contagious virus. Continuing research began to uncover the long-term effects of SARS-CoV-2, and as they did, researchers became more alarmed. There was an apparent rise in cancer diagnoses. Worse yet, the results of the pandemic interrupted the healthcare systems, screenings, and earlier treatments available.
An immediate and felt effect of the pandemic on cancer outcomes comes from the interruption of routine medical care. Everyone likely remembers that in 2020 and 2021, patients avoided hospitals and care centers began deferring some less important services. As a consequence, cancer screenings, including colonoscopies, Pap smears, mammograms, and prostate exams, were delayed.
A study in JAMA Oncology estimates that thousands of excess cancer deaths could occur in the coming ten years. A large uptick in late-stage cancer diagnoses is potentially attributable to millions of missed screenings in the U.S.
COVID-19 had an Impact on the Immune System
If you look past the delays in screenings and care, research is beginning to look at whether the virus has a more direct biological link to cancer. There are studies suggesting that the virus may contribute to oncogenesis, the biological process of a healthy cell becoming cancerous, through the chronic inflammation common during COVID, the immune system becoming unregulated, and long-term damage to tissue.
Researchers are associating COVID-19 with prolonged immune suppression, and that may have allowed abnormal cells to evade the immune system and grow. COVID was able to cause persistent tissue damage in organs, such as the lungs, the liver, and a person's gastrointestinal tract, potentially causing an increase in the risk of cancer in those regions over time.
How This Affects Cancer Patients
Patients who were already diagnosed with cancer were in the category of most vulnerable. They likely suffered more instances of severe complications due to having a compromised immune system from drug therapies or the cancer. Mortality rates increased among cancer patients during the pandemic, but the patients also suffered from complications with their treatment plans. The cancellation of surgeries or chemotherapy sessions was unfortunately guilty of having long-term consequences on the cancer prognosis.
Going Forward
Healthcare systems are responding to the challenges ahead by focusing on the restoration of screening programs and aggressively using telemedicine to work with patients more effectively. Through the National Cancer Institute and other organizations, funding is being given to researchers trying to understand how the pandemic virus may affect cancer risks.
Takeaways
COVID-19 caused the first pandemic of the modern era, and as such, there is a lot we're going to continue learning for the foreseeable future. How did the virus affect our bodies in the face of cancer? With the inflammation and effects on our immune systems, it's easy to understand how the virus would affect our ability to fight against cancer.
The reality may be more complicated, as we're still learning how the societal changes utilized to help combat the pandemic affected our lives. For many, the lockdowns, job loss, and endangered mental health were a part of the toughest parts of their lives. For others, the fight may have only just begun.
The delays in simple things, like seeing your doctor and getting a physical, or a cancer screening, may still come back to haunt people. It's clear that more people are being diagnosed with later-stage cancer, and when we look back, there might have been signs much sooner than we realized.
Don't wait! Get checked. Particularly if it's in your family or you are over 40.
References:
JAMA Network, COVID-19 and Rates of Cancer Diagnosis in the U.S., September 6, 2024
About the Creator
Jason Morton
From fiction to reality there’s tons to share about this crazy life. From being a single father, an officer, and having had many insane adventures while I learned about the world, my imagination runs wild with ideas.
Enjoyed the story? Support the Creator.
Subscribe for free to receive all their stories in your feed. You could also become a paid subscriber, letting them know you appreciate their work.
Comments
There are no comments for this story
Be the first to respond and start the conversation.