Covid lockdown delayed cancer diagnosis: Data

World Cancer Day today; TMH data shows 26% drop in registrations in 2020 compared to 2019; 140% rise in new patients after lockdown ended

MUMBAI : On the eve of World Cancer Day, which is today, hospitals in the city said almost 30% of the newly registered cancer patients have developed advance-stage cancer due to delayed diagnoses during the lockdown, and many consequently have reduced chances of recovery.

On Wednesday, Tata Memorial Hospital (TMH), a premier cancer institute in India, shared data that showed a 26% drop in new cancer patients in 2020 compared to 2019. In 2019, TMH saw 82,538 new cases and in 2020, the number dropped to 60,699.

During the lockdown last year, TMH had remained open and saw 1,002 new cases in April; 3,020 in May; and 2,688 in June. In 2019, the hospital had recorded 6,933 new cases in April; 7,035 in May and 6,273 in June.

Deputy director of TMH and gastrointestinal cancer surgeon Dr Shailesh V Shrikhande said the drop was because almost 60% of the hospital’s patients are usually from outside Mumbai and they were unable to travel due to the lockdown.

Early in the pandemic, several civic-run and private tertiary care hospitals were converted into dedicated Covid-19 hospitals and non-emergency services were temporarily halted. Dr Sanjay Dudhat, head of onco-surgery at Nanavati Super Speciality Hospital, said the hospital had seen a 45% drop in medical oncology (chemotherapy/radiation therapy) and a 69% dip in cancer surgeries in 2020 compared to 2019.

“Cancer patients are most vulnerable to Covid-19 due to their weak immunity. As a result, many patients deferred visiting hospitals for fear of contracting the virus,” said Dr Bharat Bhosale, medical oncologist at Bombay and Holy Spirit Hospitals.

After lockdown restrictions were eased, TMH saw a 140% increase in new cancer patients between August and December 2020. Similarly, Nanavati Super Speciality Hospital recorded a 108% increase in the number of cancer patients.

With cancer patients returning to hospitals, doctors say there are many cases of delayed diagnoses, which can reduce the patient’s chances of survival. “Almost one-third developed cancer at the third and fourth stage of the disease, which could have been cured if diagnosed earlier,” said Dr Sanjay Sharma, surgical oncologist and director of Asian Cancer Institute, Mumbai.