Going on time is probably the strategy that can save the most lives among those who suffer from this disease.
In Spain, cancer is one of the main causes of mortality. The number of cancers diagnosed in our country in 2021 is estimated to have reached 276 cases. That means that 239 new cases were diagnosed per million inhabitants.
In the Canary Islands, the latest incidence estimation data provided by the Population Cancer Registry of the Canarian Health Service is from 2018. Already in that year, 11 cases of cancer were confirmed in a population of 384 inhabitants.
Going on time is probably the strategy that can save the most lives among those who suffer from this disease. In fact, cancer prevention plans through the modification of lifestyle habits and the implementation of early diagnosis programs have made it possible to increase cure rates in the most common tumors, such as breast, prostate or colon.
However, society in general is aware of the terrible effect that the COVID-19 pandemic has had on the diagnosis and treatment of cancer patients. For example, due to the pandemic, early cancer diagnosis programs were affected to a greater or lesser extent, so, in all likelihood, the number of colorectal, breast and gynecological cancers finally diagnosed in 2020 was lower than expected. .
Along with the already known difficulties in accessing oncological treatments in a timely manner, COVID-19 has made things even worse for this group of very vulnerable patients. The diversion of healthcare resources to care for the pandemic, the fear of contagion in hospital environments, etc., have negatively influenced the healthcare of cancer patients.
In fact, the Spanish Society of Medical Oncology estimates that 1 in 5 cases of cancer were undiagnosed during the pandemic. The avalanche of advanced cases, due to the lack of diagnosis during 2020, has been evident in hospital centers. Furthermore, the lack of healthcare for oncological treatment, especially surgical treatment, seems to have had a very negative influence on patients' healing options.
For this reason, the Spanish Association Against Cancer, aware that COVID-19 has aggravated the situation of these patients, launched a campaign at the end of 2021, For once, let's agree, addressed to the entire society and to those who represent us, which also makes complete sense on this Day
World Cup Against Cancer 2022. The AECC demands, among other things, that cancer does not cause poverty in the most vulnerable patients or that no one goes undiagnosed as a result of a crisis.
It is this aspect of the diagnosis in which the most progress can be made. Adequate and fair access to early diagnosis programs must be required. We know that the reduction in mortality from cancers such as breast, colorectal or cervical cancer is directly related to the treatment of tumors in very early stages.
Delays in treatment entail, in addition to a potential reduction in patient survival, often more aggressive treatment, both from a surgical and oncological point of view. But in addition, all cancer patients must have access to treatments derived from research, of the highest quality based on scientific evidence and designed taking into account their age, physical condition, social and family environment, etc.
The patient and his environment must be part of the “cancer team”. We cannot relegate them to a passive role in the fight against their disease. The Health System must understand and encourage their empowerment, so that they can actively collaborate in the process. To do this, you must provide them with adequate psychological, nutritional, physical exercise, etc. support.
The health professionals involved in each case must act in an integrated manner and with the sole commitment that the patient be the center of their actions. Patients in general, and cancer patients in particular, tend to go “door to door,” not only going to different specialists, but even to different hospital centers. This pilgrimage of patients in search of assistance is especially burdensome in elderly patients who have many difficulties moving around or completing all bureaucratic requirements independently.
This situation entails one of the greatest inequities in the system, making it extraordinarily difficult to provide care to the patients who most frequently suffer from the disease.
This is why oncological care must be rethought, with the patient as the center of efforts. The oncology patient must have “a single door” to go to and it must be the professionals who care for them in a coordinated, multidisciplinary and individualized manner according to the needs of the patient and their environment.
We cannot forget that the individualization of the cancer patient is not based exclusively on indicating a treatment based on the characteristics of their tumor, but it is essential that the social and economic family circumstances of each case be taken into account, understanding and assuming the patient's wishes. patient regarding their treatment.
Through the commitment that Health Systems and health professionals adopt in relation to the cancer patient as the center of the healthcare system, we will be able to reduce inequities that affect both the patient and their environment.