Europe faces a cancer epidemic unless urgent action is taken to boost treatment and research, after an estimated 1 million diagnoses were missed during the swine flu epidemic.
The impact of Covid-19 and the focus on it has exposed weaknesses in cancer health systems and in the cancer research landscape, which, if not addressed as a matter of urgent, will set back cancer outcomes by almost a decade.
The European Groundshot report brought together a wide range of patient, scientific, and healthcare experts with detailed knowledge of cancer in Europe.
The adverse effects that the rapid repurposing of health services and national lockdowns have had on cancer services, on cancer research, and on patients with cancer are one of the consequences of the Pandemic.
They estimated that 1 million cancer diagnoses could have been missed during the Covid-19 epidemic. Significant delays in cancer diagnosis and treatment can lead to a higher proportion of patients being diagnosed with later stages of the disease. Europe's cancer systems will continue to be stressed by this cancer stage shift.
Many European patients with cancer will suffer from inferior quality of life due to these issues.
1.5 million fewer patients with cancer were seen by clinicians in the first year of the pandemic, with one in two patients not receiving surgery or treatment in a timely manner. It is thought that as many as 1 million European citizens may have an undetected cancer due to the missed screenings.
According to the chair and lead author of the commission, an estimated 1 million cancer diagnoses were missed during the Covid-19 epidemic. We are racing against the clock to find the missing cancer.
Clinical trials were delayed or canceled in the first wave of the epidemic and laboratories were shut down. Europe is on the verge of a cancer epidemic if cancer health systems and cancer research are not prioritised.
The invasion of Ukraine by Russia is a big challenge to cancer research in Europe. Russia and Ukraine are major contributors to cancer research. The commission believes that European cancer research will be negatively impacted by the decision to leave the EU.
You can sign up for This is Europe.
Identity, economics, and the environment are the most important stories for Europeans.
It is more important than ever that Europe develops a resilient cancer research landscape to play a significant role in improving prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and quality of life for current and future patients.
Cancer prevention and research have not received the funding they deserve according to the report. It says that a focus on preventing cancer would allow more resources to be available for those who need treatment.
According to Anna Schmtz of the International Agency for Research on Cancer, 40% of cancers in Europe could be prevented with better primary prevention strategies.
All Rights Reserved © 2024
