Another consequence of Covid-19 and confinement, the chronically ill tended to hide, to bury their symptoms, for fear of going to the hospital and catching the new virus. This has led to delayed diagnoses in some patients, and the medical community now expects excess mortality in cancer patients.
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Decrease in consultations during confinement
All cancer centers but also hospitals recorded a drop in consultations during the health crisis. For example, the number of colonoscopies performed during confinement to detect colon cancer has dropped by 80%. And as Yves Blay, professor of cancerology and president of the Unicancer federation explains, these delays in diagnosis will not be without consequences. "For almost all cancers, the delay in therapeutic treatment is associated with an increased risk of relapse and death linked to the disease, which has already been observed in the past."
This doctor thus evokes between 6,000 and 8,000 additional deaths linked to cancer. If for the moment these are only estimates, figures are being collected in all cancer centers. In the coming weeks, health authorities will be able to more precisely measure these excess mortality risks linked to cancer.
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Patients who still fear to consult, despite the deconfinement
But almost three weeks after the end of confinement, what worries even more oncologists is that the new patients still do not rush to return. In the cabinets, the meetings resume but timidly. The watchword of oncologists is therefore very simple: "come and consult." If you have the slightest symptom, the slightest doubt, especially do not wait and make an appointment with your doctor or a specialist.