Cancer drive must match Coronavirus response, says expert
Prof Karol Sikora, chief medical officer at Rutherford Health, is calling for the independent sector’s 27 cancer treatment centres/units to be used to meet regional demand spikes for cancer services.
Announcing a five-point plan he believes is needed to tackle cancer, he said: ‘The cancer backlog caused by Covid-19 is bigger than we anticipated. There is a real sense of urgency now about how we get things back to normal and, crucially, how we deal with the backlog that has already built up.’
Figures from Cancer Research UK last week highlighted the importance of implementing an urgent response right away; over 2.4 million people in the UK are waiting for cancer screening, treatment or tests due to Covid-related disruption to the NHS.
Prof Sikora added: ‘This now requires a co-ordinated national response. Delays to cancer diagnosis and treatment can come with a high price. Even modest delays can have a big impact on a patient’s quality of life and even survival. This, in turn, can feed a cycle of further delays in the health system which could last for many months or years, with terrible health outcomes.
‘The good news is that we can still prevent a worst-case scenario. Covid-19 showed that we are capable of rising to the challenge. The NHS response to the pandemic has been fantastic and ensured that services remained within capacity throughout the peak. A similar effort is now necessary. The backlog must be overcome or it will weigh down cancer services for the foreseeable future.’
His five-point plan also includes:
Keeping cancer centres and treatment areas ‘Covid-free’ – this should include monitoring all patients for Covid-19 symptoms (temperature checks) and PCR tests for all staff at least once a week
Monitoring cancer biopsy numbers closely for predicting treatment surge – ‘existing data suggests that a surge could be due around August/September’.
Co-ordinate prioritisation of patients in both diagnostic and treatment pathways – ensure that accelerated regimens are in place to urgently treat patients who stand to be adversely affected by any delays.
Instigate weekend and double-shift working through the peak – preparing personnel and facilities in anticipation of the peak, much like the NHS did with Covid-19.