Doctors see trend in medical delays due to COVID-19 leading to more advanced cancer cases

Data to prove this trend isn’t yet available, but doctors across the country are seeing patients with more advanced stages of cancer than usual - a phenomenon they’re attributing to the COVID-19 pandemic. A senior medical director for Nova Scotia’s cancer care program thinks cancer patients are presenting with more advanced disease due to pandemic-induced missed or delayed medical appointments. A skin cancer specialist in Ont. started to notice a spike in advanced-stage cancer at his clinic in Jan. 2021. Both doctors attribute the rise in advanced disease to how healthcare and peoples' habits changed when the pandemic hit. For many , primary care became less accessible, they say, adding that public health restrictions directed people to stay home and avoid public places.
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Des patients atteints de cancers pourraient omettre des traitements - The Associated Press