COVID-19 pandemic, the Ontario Medical Association said Wednesday.Although screenings have since returned to normal levels, the organization warned that the temporary decrease in testing has led to many cases of the disease being diagnosed at later stages.Dr.
Rose Zacharias, the association’s president, said mammogram screening is the best method to detect breast cancer early, when it is less likely to have spread to other parts of the body. ‘Undignified’: New data shows Ontario hospital wait times growing worse “Some women are being diagnosed with bigger lumps and more advanced stage cancer, meaning the treatment is much more complicated,” she said at a news conference.Zacharias said cancer patients are waiting longer now for treatment, including surgery, compared to pre-pandemic times, and that urgent measures are needed to clear the surgical backlog and improve wait times.Millions of medical appointments — including surgeries and procedures, screening tests, and visits to doctors — were delayed during the pandemic as the province shored up healthcare resources to respond to the virus.Dr.
Timothy Hanna, a radiation oncologist and associate professor at Queen’s University Cancer Research Institute’s Division of Cancer Care and Epidemiology, said screenings for all types of cancers dropped by 42 per cent during the first year of the pandemic in Ontario.“This is certainly a system-wide issue, whose consequences are now emerging, and certainly requires action,” he said. “The longer wait for treatment, the worse impact on survival.
We have seen the same pattern for other cancers.” Respiratory illness, dropped masks, worker shortage, factors in Ontario kids’ hospital waits Hanna said he has witnessed more later stage.