A year and a half after the coronavirus pandemic ravaged our collective lives, our society continues to grapple with fear and insecurity. As a result, we have seen misinformation spread like wildfire, and many people resort to bizarre and wrong ways of dealing with the virus. With this column, which will be published every Sunday, we aim to address any health or vaccine-related questions that our readers may have. coronavirus global pandemic.
This week’s expert is Dr. Sanjeev Mishra, Director and CEO, AIIMS Jodhpur, and Professor of Oncology. In this column, Dr. Mishra answers questions related to COVID-19 and cancer.
How difficult is it for a cancer patient to manage long-term Covid symptoms?
At present, several institutes (including AIIMS Jodhpur) are running their own post-COVID clinics, where patients are being consulted for their post Covid symptoms, both acute and chronic. There is a protocol which includes their physical examination and other necessary laboratory parameters. The entire system is operated by a multidisciplinary team. The same applies to cancer patients as well. However, in the case of cancer patients, many experienced prolonged or more severe COVID symptoms for a longer period of time. Another thing, data from different studies showed that a large number of cancer patients who had COVID-19 rated their general and mental health as fair or poor. Health care systems and providers must be prepared to recognize and meet the ongoing needs of this patient population.
How has cancer care been affected during this pandemic?
As most healthcare systems coped with an increase in COVID19 cases, affecting general health system delivery, so was the case with cancer care. But many institutions developed their own protocols to provide the uninterrupted care needed to these patients. Teleconsultation was used as an opportunity to test patients who should be physically screened, and who would benefit from additional workup prior to their admission to the physical to limit their exposure to the hospital environment. and therefore reduce the risk of their contamination. Medical care with assured optimum treatment while minimizing the risk of COVID-19 transmission during this pandemic was the mantra.
Does the vaccine cause more serious side effects for cancer patients?
No, the COVID-19 vaccine may not stimulate an effective immune response in some people with cancer. So they can have a kind of weak response or sometimes be non-responders. But as far as the potential for serious adverse events is concerned, they are the same as in any other individual.
Is COVID always more severe in cancer patients?
No. During the early stages of the epidemic, some studies reported that it is associated with higher mortality in cancer patients, but several later studies revealed the opposite. Therefore, it is not necessary that COVID is always more severe in cancer patients.
Does chemotherapy interfere with COVID medicine?
Once the patient is found positive for COVID, chemotherapy is usually stopped for 2-3 weeks. After recovery from COVID, chemotherapy can be safely resumed without long-term impact on cancer treatment.
Can COVID cause more damage to organs affected by cancer?
Further long-term studies in cancer patients recovering from COVID will probably answer this question. It is too early to say anything concrete about this.
read all breaking news, breaking news And coronavirus news Here. follow us on Facebook, Twitter And Wire.
.