Lockdowns cause Cancer Screening Delays

[inflorescence]

The article blames the virus but lets not forget this is due to the governments overreactions, the paranoia of the general public and the lockdowns/restrictions.

SAN FRANCISCO (KPIX) – As California and the Bay Area prepares for a worrisome new outbreak in coronavirus infections and hospitalizations, a second public health crisis has emerged: a massive drop in cancer screenings. More advanced cancers are a result, with fewer options to treat the disease.

That’s what happened to Richard Wehmeyer and his family.

In 2019, doctors found a tiny nodule on his lung and urged him to do a follow-up with additional scans in a few months.

“Christmas came, and after Christmas you know the pandemic hit and the whole scare of that,” explained Richard’s son Nic.

Nic is immunocompromised due to a kidney transplant. When the pandemic hit, the whole family decided to shelter in place together to protect everyone’s health. They took reasonable and well-known precautions to minimize any risk of a COVID-19 infection.

“Having another screening, talking with doctors, all that kind of took a back seat because of the pandemic,” said Nic.

In August, Richard coughed up blood and thought he had COVID-19.

At the hospital, doctors discovered stage 4 lung cancer. At that point, there were few options besides an aggressive approach. Richard died about a month after beginning treatment.

“I think because of that delay, because of the fear, because of the unknown,” remarked his son.

It’s not just lung cancers.

“Several patients that I can think of who have had this same scenario play out which is very, very concerning,” explained Dr. Ankit Sarin, a colorectal surgeon at the University of California, San Francisco Medical Center (UCSF).

He told KPIX 5 because of the pandemic; patients have put off screenings at a terrible cost. When colorectal cancer is caught in its earliest manifestation as a polyp, it is curable.

“These cancers that would have otherwise been very, very manageable and curable, go on to become you know metastatic, non-curable, and even fatal,” said Dr. Sarin.

During the Spring, COVID-19 shut down much of nation’s health care system, halting elective surgeries, closing clinics and sending patients to shelter-in-place. Now, a massive data crunch reveals a disturbing trend.

“Let me look at your California numbers here, that we sent you,” said medical doctor Deneen Vojta during a remote interview, as she reviewed the statistics sent to KPIX 5.

Dr. Vojta is Executive Vice-President of Research and Development for UnitedHealth Group, the largest health care company in the world.

Her team scours medical claims for early signs of any brewing trouble, to prevent or intercept disease.

They crunched California claims data for KPIX 5 and detected the alarming trend with cancer screenings and diagnoses that occurred during the first eight months of 2020.

“Sure, enough they are seeing patients at later stages,” noted Dr. Vojta.

In the first eight months of 2020, cancer screenings for breast, colorectal, and cervical cancers in California plummeted.
By the second week of April, mammograms and colorectal cancer screenings in people with no symptoms dropped more than 90 percent.

No screening meant less opportunity for an early diagnosis or to catch the cancer in an earlier stage.

In fact, claims submitted for breast, colorectal and cervical cancer diagnoses actually dropped by about 50 percent.

It’s important to note these screenings were for individuals who are not already at an increased risk.

“Because these are asymptomatic people we don’t know if and when that will rear its ugly head as it relates to more cancers and more advanced cancers,” remarked Dr. Vojta.

“As a treating physician, having to treat women with advanced breast cancer breaks my heart,” said medical doctor Eileen Consorti.

Dr. Consorti is a breast cancer survivor and specialist with Sutter Health. She is the director of the Carol Ann Reed Breast Care Center at Alta Bates Summit Medical Center, in Oakland.

She told KPIX 5 there are so many more treatment options available to women who are diagnosed with earlier stage disease.

“If we can get those women in for early detection, I would be thrilled,” remarked Dr. Consorti.

As for why the drop in routine cancer screenings, the reasons are complex, but the confluence of events ignited it.

sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2020/11/17/covid-19-creating-a-cancer-crisis-as-patients-put-off-screenings-for-early-detection/amp/

 

[angelicnagito]

ik this isn't as serious but i had the worst 2 weeks of my life not so long ago after my new antidepressants revealed their side effects to me. the response from my psychiatrist? she had to schedule an appointment for me in next JANUARY, *online*, thanks to the new lockdown in my state. i was literally going through the worst panic attacks, never ending, having all sorts of tremors. at its peak, i could barely walk and had to rely on walls and staircases. f*ck this shit wallahi

 

[inflorescence]

ik this isn't as serious but i had the worst 2 weeks of my life not so long ago after my new antidepressants revealed their side effects to me. the response from my psychiatrist? she had to schedule an appointment for me in next JANUARY, *online*, thanks to the new lockdown in my state. i was literally going through the worst panic attacks, never ending, having all sorts of tremors. at its peak, i could barely walk and had to rely on walls and staircases. f*ck this shit wallahi

Sorry sis, how do you cope?

It’s Ok you’re bringing it up cause I could make a thread listing all the devastating effects the lockdowns have on our society and how certain groups of people are affected but it will fall on deaf ears among those who believe COVID is the number one threat.

Few people realise there are worse and more immediate things out there.