5 ways the coronavirus crisis is impacting cancer patients

The pandemic has hit everyone hard, but some people now face two enemies: cancer and COVID-19. Here are some reasons why, and some suggestions on how to help:

The coronavirus pandemic has impacted billions around the world. In particular, for cancer patients undergoing treatment or who are in remission, there is an elevated risk of complications, but there are also several other factors related to the pandemic which are negatively affecting these patients. So how is the coronavirus pandemic impacting cancer patients so far?

1. Underlying medical conditions increase the risk of severe illness from COVID-19 

Both cancer treatment and cancer itself may cause cancer patients to be immunocompromised, meaning they have a weakened immune system that is less able to fight infections. For these reasons, cancer patients are at higher risk of developing complications from COVID-19 and also face an increased mortality rate. Patients undergoing chemotherapy, who have low white blood cell counts, or who are taking immune-suppressive agents all fall within this increased risk group.

2. Cancer treatment has been disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic

As COVID-19 cases increased, hospital facilities around the world were overwhelmed by waves of patients. In many countries, shortages of staff, beds, and other medical resources have posed challenges to oncology patients. Healthcare providers are facing numerous ethical dilemmas and are having to postpone or put on hold surgeries, screenings, and other medical procedures that are not considered urgent or life-threatening. These tough decisions are made in order to reduce the risk of infection of cancer patients by the coronavirus and to ensure that healthcare providers have the resources they need to treat patients seriously affected by COVID-19. 

3. The coronavirus pandemic has resulted in clinical trial delays

While more than 1,000 trials are now recruiting for coronavirus research, many on-going clinical trials for other diseases, including cancer, have been suspended and the start of new trials have been delayed.

As the healthcare system is overwhelmed by the COVID-19 pandemic, there are uncertainties about the pharmaceutical supply chain, medical resources are being reallocated and patients are facing travel restrictions. All of these issues have implications for cancer clinical trials in progress. 

Clinical trial sites have also faced challenges recruiting patients for new trials and are struggling to keep patients who are already enrolled compliant with study protocols. Clinical trial professionals also believe that patients are less likely to enroll in new trials at the moment and that patients already enrolled are less likely to continue participation. The consequences of this will be that data from pivotal clinical trials may be missing, which will delay drug filings, meaning new drugs may take longer to reach the market. This means that new cancer medications may take longer to reach the patients that need them.

4. The coronavirus pandemic has hindered cancer research progress

ASCO (American Society of Clinical Oncology) and other major cancer events where new research and novel treatments are announced and where potential collaborations are often discussed have had to adapt to the new normal by going digital, being postponed or even being cancelled due to travel restrictions and social distancing. These challenges have a financial impact on research organizations, which may disrupt future activities.

The pandemic has also caused many laboratories and universities to temporarily close and send researchers to work from home. Unfortunately closings of important labs and institutions may jeopardize and delay important pre-clinical and clinical cancer research progress.

5. The pandemic has interfered with the drug supply chain

Europe and the U.S rely heavily on China and India for the supply of medications or their active pharmaceutical components, and manufacturing capacities have unfortunately been negatively impacted by the pandemic. For example, India limited export of certain drugs and components to reserve them for the national population. There is thus a threat of medication shortages, including cancer treatments, and the FDA is looking closely at this.

So, what can we do to help?

There are a few ways anyone can contribute to helping end these challenges:

First of all, you can help out patients and loved ones who fall into high risk groups by making sure you are social distancing and enabling them to do so as well by dropping off food and prescriptions and keeping in regular touch with video calls and encouragement.

You can also look at clinical trials to participate in that are enrolling, to help speed up research to fight the pandemic. You can use Ancora.ai to look for vaccine trials near you, for example.

Finally, you make a donation to your favorite cancer research or patient support initiative to make sure these organizations are able to work as effectively as possible to support people who are burdened doubly by the pandemic.