Surgeon fears cancer care could be “collateral damage” in pandemic as surgeries postponed amid new priority protocol.
As Canadian doctors brace for the full surge of the COVID-19 tsunami, its ripples are already causing delays in cancer care.
The pandemic has created surreal experiences for everyone, including the 617 people in this country who are diagnosed with cancer each day on average, according to the Canadian Cancer Society.
“My biggest fear would be the collateral damage caused by the pandemic and the collateral damage is something like cancer care,” said Dr. Jory Simpson, a surgeon at St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto who treats breast cancer.
Cara Heitmann, 53, of Toronto had her breast reconstruction cancelled and her mastectomy that was scheduled for next week is being postponed.
“I’m angry and I’m scared,” said Heitmann, who lives alone and runs her own business. “I don’t know if or when I will have surgery. I don’t know if the cancer will spread. I don’t know if it will metastasize. I don’t know if I will survive this.”
Heitmann said she has access to her surgeon’s case notes that list her as a priority case. “I haven’t been told what is now my prognosis.”
Cancer care prioritized for patient safety
Simpson said that so far, if a patient has a deadly tumour needing emergency surgery, it will be removed. But as hospitals struggle to make space for COVID-19 patients, there’s a new set of priorities including:
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Life or limb-threatening cancers at the top of list.
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Patients with solid tumours, inclu