CT Scan: A boon and a curse for cancer patients

Thanks to CT scans performed to detect COVID-19, many patients were diagnosed with cancer, as the scans captured a cancerous lump. However, many others – especially in rural areas – who went to underserved health facilities were misdiagnosed and treated for COVID, pneumonia and even TB. As a result, patients in their third and fourth stages of cancer are now approaching hospitals.

Doctor Niti Raizadahandjob Director – Medical Oncology And Hemato-oncologyhandjob Fortis HospitalSaid: “Lung cancer has the highest mortality rate and delay in treatment will reduce the chances of survival. If detected and treated at an early stage, people can lead normal lives like no other, but If they come to us in Stage 3 and 4, it becomes difficult for them and the survival rate also goes down.”

Raizada said that recently, a 70-year-old patient from a rural area, who had symptoms since April, had a CT scan, which was misdiagnosed as COVID-19 and was being treated. “The doctor who treated her could not detect cancer through the scan and suspected her to have tuberculosis for the second time. As her symptoms continued, she consulted a different doctor who treated her for pneumonia for a few weeks until she contacted me in the first week of August.

Any oncologist or specialist can easily detect cancer in CT scan, but due to lack of proper health infrastructure in their village, his treatment got delayed by more than four months,” she said.

Doctor Ravindra Mehta, Senior Pulmonologist, Apollo Hospital, and a member of the BBMP’s COVID-19 task force committee said that during the pandemic there were three scenarios that affected and helped some patients. “There were many people who ignored the symptoms and did not go to the doctors or were afraid to go to the hospitals till it was too late. In some cases, treatment was delayed due to non-availability of health facilities and lack of expert opinion.

“In both cases, people have reached hospitals during the third stage of cancer, where the survival rate is only 50 per cent. However, many people who underwent CT scan for COVID were diagnosed with lung cancer at an early stage and started treatment immediately which increased their survival rate and ensured quick recovery. ” According to Dr. Vijay Aggarwalhandjob Lead Consultant – Medical Oncologyhandjob Aster HospitalCT scans had become routine in patients with Kovid-19.

“Following this exercise, we looked at several patients whose cancer was picked up. CT scans for COVID-19 identified lumps of cancer in them. The most common types of cancer we identified were lung cancer. , liver cancer, pancreatic cancer and kidney cancer.”

How can you detect cancer early?
Doctors say that if people have a genetic history of cancer, they need to consult doctors for an opinion.
People who are exposed to air pollution while at work should get regular check-ups as they are prone to lung cancer. People who have been smokers for a long time are at risk of developing lung cancer and should go for a scan immediately if they feel any trouble in breathing or other symptoms.