Some cancer treatments delayed

As the coronavirus battered the West Coast, Bryce Olson faced an excruciating decision: He was supposed to travel from his home in rural Oregon to San Diego every three weeks to take part in a clinical trial in San Diego for aggressive prostate cancer. But after his last trip in early March, he wondered if he should drop out of the trial and stay home, at least for a few months.

He worried if he contracted the virus during his travels, he could die before his weakened immune system could mount a counterattack. But skipping cancer treatments could unleash a disease that had menaced him for six years.

“If I let the tiger out of the cage, it may be harder to get it back in,” said Olson, who is 50.

Olson’s dilemma is one of many challenges confronting cancer patients and their doctors as they grapple with the twin foes of cancer and COVID-19. With the virus racing through the country, cancer doctors and patients are taking sometimes drastic steps to try to deal with the crisis.

The changes range from the simple to the complex. At NYU Langone Medical Center, for example, cancer patients are directed to separate elevators to reduce their chance of getting infected. Across the country, oncologists are delaying some surgeries and paring back treatments to reduce patients’ hospital time and risk of infection.

“I’m used to seeing patients who are afraid,” said Mark Lewis, an oncologist at Intermountain Healthcare in Utah who three years ago had pancreatic cancer. “But nowadays, they are particularly terrified. Their fear is amplified beyond the general populace.”