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Delays in melanoma diagnosis due to coronavirus lockdowns have indirectly cost more than 100,000 years of life and £6 billion across Europe, primarily through lost productivity. A new study led by researchers at UCL and University Hospital Basel has found that it is possible.
Authors of new works JAMA network open According to the paper, the study results show how important early detection of cancer is, while also highlighting the importance of considering unanticipated side effects when planning for future pandemics.
Co-lead author Dr Kaustubh Adhikari (UCL Genetics, Evolution and Environment, Open University) said: ‘When lockdown was introduced as a much-needed measure to stop the spread of COVID-19, widespread There were several unintended consequences: cancellations and delays in medical appointments.
“Many people failed to detect skin cancer or schedule treatment, resulting in cancer progressing to later stages, making treatment more expensive and increasing the risk that treatment would not be successful.
“It is alarming that because of a single disease, years of life have been lost, the quality of life of thousands of people has been reduced and the economic impact has been billions of pounds. may be just the tip of the iceberg of the impact of delays.”
A team of researchers from the UK, Switzerland, Germany, US, Italy, Australia and Hungary has found that delays in diagnosing melanoma, a common skin cancer and one of the 10 most common cancers in Europe. We were investigating the medical economic impact that this would have. The analysis was based on information from 50,072 patients at her two cancer treatment centers in Switzerland and Italy, and was supported by further data from the UK and Belgium.
Researchers found that in 2020 and 2021, as lockdown restrictions, staff shortages and fears of infection disrupted both screening services and treatment, delays in starting or continuing treatment led to an increase in the number of people with cancer. The progression from one stage to the next was estimated. Researchers estimated that about 17% of melanoma patients will have their cancer progress to a higher stage in 2020-2021 because diagnosis and treatment were delayed by more than two to three months.
The researchers then estimated additional medical costs because treatments for late-stage cancers are more expensive and less likely to be successful. These cost estimates include both direct costs to healthcare providers (e.g. the NHS) and broader impacts such as lost productivity due to disability and years of life lost (indirect costs) .
Researchers estimate that delays in melanoma diagnosis cost 111,464 years of life in 31 European countries, with a total economic cost of £6.1 billion (€7.1 billion or $7.7 billion). did. Most of the costs (94.5%) were indirect costs such as lost productivity.
Our findings demonstrate that preventive health care must always be a top priority, both in normal times and in times of crisis. Planning for the possibility of future pandemics must be holistic, taking into account unintended side effects on a wide range of health conditions.
Delays in diagnosis and treatment can have a devastating impact on people affected by cancer, so getting prompt evaluation and treatment is essential for people concerned about their health, and at the same time that the healthcare system leaders must treat screening programs as a priority. ”
Dr. Elizabeth Reuder, co-lead author, Basel University Hospital
This research was supported by the Basel University Research Foundation, the University of Basel ProPatient Foundation, the Goldschmidt-Jakobson Foundation and the Swiss National Science Foundation.
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