Many surgeries were postponed to preserve health care capacity during the COVID-19 pandemic, yet these measures may have resulted in shorter survival rates for cancer patients, a new study says. The study, published March 21 in the Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ), evaluates the long-term consequences of pandemic-related cancer surgery slowdowns on cancer survival in Ontario. “Longer wait times from slowdowns of cancer surgeries during the COVID-19 pandemic are projected to lead to decreased long-term survival for many patients with cancer,” says the study titled, “Impact of cancer surgery slowdowns on patient survival during the COVID-19 pandemic: a microsimulation modelling study.” At the start of the pandemic in March 2020, Ontario asked its hospitals to ramp down elective surgeries and non-emergent procedures in order to “maximize resources and prioritize services” to curb the spread of COVID-19. But as infection cases rose in the third wave of the pandemic, the province ceased all such medical procedures …
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