Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the symptomatic diagnosis of cancer: the view from primary care
Ce dossier présente un ensemble d'articles concernant la prise en charge des cancers durant la crise sanitaire liée au COVID-19
The entire landscape of cancer management in primary care, from case identification to the management of people living with and beyond cancer, is evolving rapidly in the face of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. In a climate of fear and mandated avoidance of all but essential clinical services, delays in patient, population, and health-care system responses to suspected cancer symptoms seem inevitable. Screening, case identification, and referral in symptomatic cancer diagnosis have all been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. UK national cancer screening programmes—accounting for approximately 5% of all cancer diagnoses each year—have been suspended. Consequently, early diagnoses from screening will be delayed and symptom-based diagnosis of cancer will become more important. Unfortunately, postponing screening sends a message to the public and primary care that cancer can wait. (…)
The Lancet Oncology , commentaire en libre accès, 2019