Providers see sicker cancer patients after missed screenings and care during COVID-19
Jessie Hellmann and Alex Kacik
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Healthcare providers across the U.S. are seeing more patients with late-stage cancer, the consequence of the pandemic s pause on screenings and routine doctor s visits.
As COVID-19 restrictions lift and more people get vaccinated, patients are scheduling screenings and following up on unchecked symptoms. Some patients are receiving treatment for undiagnosed cancers, and providers are concerned that they will be treating more acute conditions for years to come.
New Mexico Oncology Hematology Consultants is one of many cancer centers that is hiring more doctors and nurses as volume and acuity increases.
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After months of pandemic anxiety, there are massive increases of eating disorders, says expert
“We are absolutely seeing massive increases,’’ said the director of an outpatient eating disorders program at the University of Chicago Medicine. By (KatarzynaBialasiewicz/iStock)
Story at a glance
A new analysis in the journal Epic Health Research Network found cases of eating disorders in the United States increased by 30 percent after March 2020.
The spike is the result of high levels of isolation and anxiety stemming from the coronavirus pandemic.
In the United States, 9 percent of the population will struggle with an eating disorder at some point in their life.
Medically Reviewed
At the beginning of the pandemic, skipping routine screenings seemed like a good idea. Now experts say there may be dire consequences.
Yuliya Baranych/iStock
Last March, when the COVID-19 outbreak was declared a pandemic, many medical facilities shuttered themselves to everyone but those suffering from the virus or in need of necessary medical care.
The thinking: Spare medical facilities for the unfolding emergency and avoid exposing people seeking nonemergency medical care to the virus. Preventive care could wait.
But as the pandemic raged on, concern grew among cancer experts around one issue in particular: screening.
Cancer screening provides one of the best ways to find cancer early, at a time when it s most treatable. With few exceptions, multiple cancer screening tests are recommended for early cancer detection across any adult’s lifetime.