New normal same cancer

A drastic decline has been observed in the number of adults undergoing routine preventative healthcare and cancer screenings during the pandemic compared to previous years, threatening to erase years of progress made in advancing earlier diagnosis and treatment of cancer.

In 2020, we partnered with global patient coalitions around the world to launch New Normal, Same Cancer, with the aim to raise awareness of the impact of COVID-19 on cancer care and supporting patients to access cancer care services.

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues and pressure on world-wide healthcare systems remains, many people face challenges in accessing cancer care services. Fewer people are being screened for cancer and many have put off visiting their doctor, increasing the risk of cancers being diagnosed at an advanced stage. While the world is adapting to the pandemic, continued disruptions have meant that one million cancer patients in Europe alone could now be undiagnosed.¹ Identifying cancer early can give patients the best chance for successful treatment, improving patient outcomes by providing care at the earliest possible stage. But unfortunately, this doesn’t happen often enough. For the most common cancer types, even a four-week delay in cancer treatment is associated with an increase in mortality; every four-week delay increases the risk of death by between 6-13%.²

Our call-to-action is clear: Don’t wait. Contact your doctor. Get checked.

These actions are critical because as we adapt to a new normal, cancer has remained the same and continues to be a global challenge.

We are calling those experiencing new symptoms but are too anxious to attend clinics or are waiting to attend routine screening appointments not to wait any longer. Contact your doctor. It might not be cancer, but it’s best to rule it out. Cancer doesn’t wait, neither should you.

The New Normal Same Cancer campaign has been created in collaboration with: 

References:

1. European Cancer Organisation. Covid-19 & Cancer Data Intelligence. Available at: http://www.europeancancer.org/timetoact/impact/data-intelligence. Accessed September 2021.

2. Hanna T, et al. 2020. Mortality due to cancer treatment delay: systematic review and meta-analysis. BMJ. 371:m4087 doi:10.1136/bmj.m4087.