Cancer screens are affected by the pandemic

Cancer screening tests have declined across the country, including in Maine, either because stay-at-home orders have forced many people to forgo annual screenings, such as mammograms, or because patients wanted simply stay away from medical facilities for fear of exposure. coronavirus there, according to Dr Christian Thomas, oncologist and director of clinical research at New England Cancer Specialists, which has offices in Scarborough, Topsham and Kennebunk.

“In 2020, for several months, we experienced a significant drop in the number of patients entering our practice. It was mostly March, April and May, ”Thomas said. “It was a mix. It was not just screenings, but also patients who came here for a procedure to be finally diagnosed. “

A study for the Community Oncology Alliance, which looked at billing frequencies, found national decreases in 85% in breast cancer screenings, 75% for colon cancer screenings, 74% for prostate cancer screenings and 56% for lung cancer screenings in April 2020 compared to at the same time in 2019.

Delays in diagnosis will cause people with more advanced forms of cancer to be treated by New England cancer specialists, Thomas said.

“Cancer screening saves lives,” he said. “You can talk a bit about who should get tested, at what age and what is the best technique for an individual, but early detection saves lives. “

Thomas and his colleagues at New England Cancer Specialists have joined Time to Screen, a new educational campaign from the Community Oncology Alliance and CancerCare, to encourage people to go for screening for six common types of cancer: breast, colorectal, cervical, prostate , lungs and skin. The website schedoscreen.org provides information about the importance of testing and lists local testing facilities that follow CDC guidelines for a pandemic. There is also a free hotline, 1-855-537-2733.

“Keeping up to date with recommended screenings is essential to maintaining your health,” said Patricia J. Goldsmith, CEO of CancerCare, a group that provides counseling, case management, support groups, education and assistance. financial support to people undergoing cancer treatment. “The more people hear this message and listen to our call to action, the more support we can provide to ensure timely access and information on vital screenings.”

Breast cancer survivor Tish Russell, pictured here with her granddaughter, Adriana, at the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer 2018 event, had postponed a mammogram, but once she did, it got her saved life, she said. Contribution / American Cancer Society

In Maine last year 8,180 diagnoses of breast, uterine, colorectal, leukemia, lung, skin, prostate, non-Hodgkin lymphoma and bladder cancer were diagnosed, the lowest number since 2008, when there were 8,140 such diagnoses, according to the American Cancer Society.

“The current impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on cancer care in the United States has resulted in declines and delays in identifying new cancers and providing treatment. These problems, if not mitigated, will increase cancer morbidity and mortality for years to come, ”said the Community Oncology Alliance study.

The decision to get tested was a saving choice for Cumberland resident Tish Russell, who had delayed a mammogram until shortly after her aunt was diagnosed with breast cancer in January 2016.

After a mammogram in March 2016 and a biopsy the following April, Russell was diagnosed with stage 3A breast cancer. She has no cancer since her bilateral mastectomy in May 2016 and continues to have check-ups with her oncologist every three months.

“I think about it all the time,” Russell said of what might have happened if she hadn’t decided to have a mammogram. “Thank goodness I finally made that choice.”

Russell is an active volunteer with the American Cancer Society’s Making Strides Against Breast Cancer of Greater Portland event, a way to give back and be a resource for people who have been through what she has been through.

From March to May this year, an American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network online survey of 1,280 patients and survivors diagnosed with cancer over the past seven years found that 35% said the pandemic had affected their ability to access care. About 1 in 6 people reported a delay or interruption in their cancer screening schedule, including 11% who experienced a delay in screening for cancer that had already been diagnosed.

Thomas said the Scarborough office of New England cancer specialists had never closed or reduced hours and that patients could still have access to treatment and monitoring, but the investigation found delays in cancer care had taken place across the country. These delays, according to respondents, were mainly due to logistical issues, such as staff shortages or a lack of available appointments at cancer centers, and because of patients’ concerns about the risks of contracting the virus.

“While conditions are certainly improving, it remains clear that there is still work to be done to ensure that patients and survivors can get the health care they need, when they need it,” a said Lisa Lacasse, president of the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network. “I hope that as more healthcare facilities safely resume operations and more people are able to get vaccinated, screenings – which are essential for early detection and prevention of cancer – will be more easily accessible. “

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