Tips for cancer patients during Covid-19 crisis

Cancer patients requiring ongoing treatment are under tremendous stress living with a “death sentence” and not knowing if the next day will bring more bad news of a cancer recurrence or progression.

Patients undergoing treatment require frequent visits to hospital. Some make daily, weekly or monthly trips from rural areas to treatment centres, usually located in urban centres at state capitals. The added fear of contracting Covid-19 at hospitals makes the trips worse than a horror movie from a Stephen King novel.

Some patients have been coming dressed in PPE that medical frontliners wear – although usually not put on correctly – giving them psychological comfort more than anything else. Some have even dropped out of their prescribed treatment programmes.

One in 5 men and one in 6 women worldwide develop cancer during their lifetime, and one in 8 men and one in 11 women die from the disease. The cancer burden is much higher than Covid-19.

During this time of restricted movements, oncology professionals recommend that those undergoing cancer treatments should:

Continue your prescribed life saving cancer treatments as recommended by your health care professionals if these cannot be safely delayed or postponed.

Receive treatment options that can be given at home through tablets or by simple injections that can be administered by a healthcare professional visiting you at your own home if this is safe to do so.

Delay any non essential follow-up visits. For the time being telephone or email consultations can be used.

Telephone your doctor or nurse immediately if you develop a cough, fever or develop other chest symptoms. Do not just turn up at the clinic with these symptoms before calling first.

Keep good hand hygiene and wear a face mask when you visit the hospital for your routine appointments. It is not recommended to put on gloves and other PPE as these may cause more harm than good.

Attend appointments alone if possible and according to schedule. Do not come early or late but on time. Discuss with your medical team about spacing out appointments with other patients if at all possible.

If the waiting areas are full and safe social distancing is not possible, discuss methods with the clinic receptionist to inform you via WhatsApp, SMS or telephone about when your turn is due while you wait in your car or other clear spaces.

Dr Daren Teoh C.Y. is an oncologist in Sabah. - FMT