TLI Staff
New Delhi: During pandemic, especially lockdown period, the number of people taking tests to diagnose cancer has dipped. At the same time, there have been a rise in cancer case due to a variety of reasons including food habits, pollution, working in chemical factories, alcohol or tomacco consumption.
Delayed diagnosis can be prove to be very harmful as the disease is hard to manage in later stages. Regular health checkups like Pap smear, oral checkup, mammography, and other blood tests are crucial for the prompt diagnosis of cancers.
The good news is that with the improvement in testing, there is a better diagnosis which if combined with timely treatment can save many lives. Timely screening aims to identify ones with abnormalities suggestive of specific cancer or pre-cancer who have not developed any symptoms and refer them promptly for diagnosis and treatment.
“In men, oral cavity and gastrointestinal tract cancers are on the rise while in women, breast, cervical and ovarian cancer cases are common. Regular health checkups for detecting cancers are mandatory for everyone above 40 as many follow a sedentary lifestyle. Pap smear test will help diagnose cervical cancer at an early stage. CA 125 test can be taken to detect ovarian carcinoma under doctor supervision. Every woman post 30 should go for it as the causative pathology occurs at a younger age and manifests after a certain period of time. Catching infection at an early stage can prevent cervical and ovarian cancer.
Women above 40 should go for regular mammograms, and if one has a history of breast cancer then opt for genetic testing. Men who smoke or consume tobacco right from a younger age should go for oral examination after every 6 months. Men above 40 to take prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test after every one year. without fail,” says Dr Sanjay Ingle, Pathologist, and Zonal Technical Head West India, Apollo Diagnostics, Pune.
Fewer people turned up for tests during lockdown
Dr Ingle added, “Before lockdown, around 30% of people would take tests after their experts’ advice (Dec -Jan month). Now, only 8% of people above 40 come for cancer screening (Dec-Jan). Pre-covid, around 10-15 women, would come for Pap smear test. But, due to the fear of contracting Coronavirus, only 1-2 people took tests, till last year. In January 2021, 5-7 patients come on a daily basis for Pap smear test. Currently, there is a lot of awareness in people regarding the signs and symptoms of cancer. Hence, it is imperative to take charge of the health and keep cancer at bay.”