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During Complete Blockages One in Seven (15%) Did Not Receive Their Planned Operation After a Median of 5.3 Months from Diagnosis | Photo credit: iStock Images
Highlights
- Planned cancer surgery was affected by blockages regardless of local Covid-19 rates at this time
- Our research reveals the collateral impact of lockdowns on patients awaiting cancer surgery during the pandemic
- Surgeons and oncologists should consider closer monitoring of patients who have experienced delays before surgery
London: One in seven cancer patients worldwide have missed potentially life-saving surgeries during Covid-19 lockdowns, new study reveals.
Led by experts from the UK University of Birmingham, nearly 5,000 surgeons and anesthetists from around the world worked together to analyze data on the 15 most common types of solid cancer in 20,000 patients in 466 hospitals in 61 countries . The team published their results in The Lancet Oncology.
The researchers analyzed data from adult patients with types of cancer including colorectal, esophageal, gastric, head and neck, thoracic, hepatic, pancreatic, prostate, bladder, renal, gynecologic, breast, soft tissue sarcoma, bone and intracranial sarcoma.
They found that planned cancer surgery was affected by blockages regardless of local Covid-19 rates at that time, with patients in low-income countries most at risk of missing their surgery.
During full closures, one in seven patients (15%) did not receive their planned operation after a median of 5.3 months from diagnosis – all with a Covid-19-related reason for non-operation. However, during periods of light restriction, the non-logging rate was very low (0.6%).
“Our research reveals the collateral impact of blockages on patients awaiting cancer surgery during the pandemic. While blockages are essential in saving lives and reducing the spread of the virus, ensuring the capacity of elective surgery Safe cancer should be part of every country’s plan to ensure the continued health of all populations, ”said James Glasbey, University of Birmingham.
“In order to avoid further damage in future closures, we need to make the systems around elective surgery more resilient – protecting elective surgery beds and operating room space, and properly resourcing ‘surge’ capacity. for times of high hospital demand, whether it’s Covid, flu or other public health emergencies, “he added.
While the study only followed patients who experienced a delay for a short period of time, evidence from other research suggests that these patients may be at higher risk for recurrence.
“To help alleviate this, surgeons and oncologists should consider closer monitoring of patients who have experienced delays before surgery,” said Aneel Bhangu, of the University of Birmingham.
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