The video was made during the peak of the pandemic but much of the message still applies. Vaccination at any stage makes sense, although catching skin cancer early to prevent immunity reducing treatment will help.
The coronavirus pandemic challenged healthcare systems across the globe. Even though the UK is now in an improved position, hidden impacts need more recovery time.
Elective care almost ceased in places during the worst of the pandemic and reduced in every region. Millions of visits, tests and operations were delayed, or cancelled, to free resources for Covid-19 patients.
Cancer care of all types suffered from this, including skin cancer. The fall in diagnosis and treatment of existing cases had an impact, as did a reduction in screening programs and individual decisions.
A proportion of people chose to avoid medical visits, understandable but this can have consequences. Early treatment is vital for most cancers, otherwise treatment may become more invasive, or no longer viable.
Assessing The Damage
Studies were carried out to assess the change in support for cancer patients but this can vary geographically. Neither has the pandemic been consistent, with the position in autumn 2020 quite different to “living with Covid”.
In the primary year, February 2020 to February 2021, we know that only 69% of patients started their cancer treatment within the maximum 62 day target. At the more serious treatment end, 11% less people had cancer surgery.
During the same period, 370,000 fewer people with suspected cancer saw a specialist. Although there were thankfully still stage 1 diagnoses across cancer types, the number reduced by 33% year on year.
The pandemic continued for far longer and a fall in early diagnosis could bring a rapid rise in serious cases in the future. NHS providers believe they may need five years at some hospitals, to treat cancer patients and eliminate the backlog.
Separate figures for skin cancer are not always collated but the proportions are understood and reasonable data available. Estimates suggest that more than 200,000 people may have missed out on diagnosis and prompt treatment.
Correcting The Curve
We are all proud of the support offered during the pandemic by health care professionals, who tried to allay the profound effect this had in other areas.
NHS and private medical staff did their utmost to continue cancer care during the pandemic, even though not all went perfectly. A national cancer services recovery program from 2020 was affected by continuing events but has been relaunched.
All of us must continue to play our part, not least with skin cancer, a disease with an excellent response to early treatment. We need to check our own skin regularly and where there are concerns, see a consultant as soon as possible.
If you have any concerns about your skin, please get in touch. Specialist clinics such as ours offer diagnosis and skin cancer treatment in a safe environment, along with any advice, or support you need.