Axel Kahn, the president of the League against cancer, said he was "appalled" by the current health policy of the government.

On Europe 1, he estimates that the care deprogrammed since the start of the Covid epidemic as well as the transfers of patients will cost the lives of several thousand cancer patients, up to 10,000 according to him. 

INTERVIEW

"The price that has been paid by people with cancer is enormous."

Professor Axel Kahn, president of the League against cancer, was alarmed at the consequences of the government's strategy against Covid on patients with chronic pathologies.

He believes that the disruption caused to the hospital by the virus will cause additional deaths.

According to him, "up to 10,000 people will lose their lives" due to insufficient care for these diseases during the pandemic.

A figure that could continue to increase due to deprogramming and patient transfers currently in place in Île-de-France. 

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About 20% of diagnoses were not made

As Axel Kahn explains, the National Cancer Institute published at the beginning of the year the assessment of the diagnoses planned ultimately not carried out.

Of about 400,000 cancer diagnoses made each year, "20% have not been made," says the doctor.

This represents around 80,000 patients.

And the situation has "worsened since. We must be at 90,000 or 95,000 delays in diagnoses, to which must be added the delays in colonoscopies to confirm colorectal cancer and the delays in colposcopy for the cervix".

A finding also valid for "postponements of non-priority carcinological surgeries [relating to cancer, editor's note]" and those of reconstructive surgeries.

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Axel Kahn judges that a "heavy price" has been paid by people with cancer.

"We estimate today at 3,000, 4,000, up to 10,000 people who will lose their lives from the evolution of their cancer because it has not been treated optimally because of the Covid."

And the scientist is worried about the predictable increase in these numbers.

"The fact that we chose to live with this extremely high viral circulation for two months was the worst thing for all people with chronic diseases," he tackles. 

"We are in an unreasonable situation"

Because "the hospital tension increases and aggravates" the problem affirms Axel Kahn.

The medical evacuations operated by Île-de-France mean "that we are exporting hospital tension and that we are worsening the situation of chronically ill patients in New Aquitaine, Nantes and in all the regions to which we are going to send medical aid. dozens of people in intensive care ".

With up to 100 medical evacuations planned and 40% of surgical interventions in Ile-de-France postponed, "we are in an unreasonable situation", estimates the president of the League against cancer. 

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Added to this is the fact that nosocomial infections linked to the virus "were very numerous" and that "a small number of sick people did not die of their cancer but of Covid" because we accepted "a very high rate of viral circulation ".

The scientist nevertheless recalls, "the main risk is that we do not treat your cancer the way we should".

He therefore urges all patients who can not to delay their visit to the hospital.

However, the situation makes Axel Kahn "angry".

"I am outraged," he asserts.

"The decision not to reconfine Île-de-France is above all political, but it is a very bad policy from a health point of view."

Containment should have been decided "a long time ago", according to him.