Doctors are concerned a second public health crisis could be emerging because people are putting off routine medical care during the coronavirus pandemic.
"I think people are concerned about coming into health facilities. In addition, things like elective surgeries were postponed," said Dr. Laura Crocitto, Vice President and Chief Medical Officer for Cancer Services at UCSF Health.
Dr. Crocitto was a guest on KCBS Radio's "As Prescribed" Thursday.
"We’re very concerned about - what are the long term implications of that? What cancers are we missing? Cancer didn’t stop during this time. But we are not detecting as many cancers as we normally would."
She said there are some warning signs you can look out for, including weight loss, fatigue and unusual pain.
"Anything really that’s new, unexplained, persistent, doesn’t go away - those are things that we would want to check out for sure,” she explained. “Many cancers, though, are not detected until late, the symptoms don’t show up until late, which is why it’s important to do the screening before you even know you have anything."
She said people should know it is safe to see their doctors.
Hospitals are screening patients, providing PPE, and limiting the number of people in the building. Telehealth options have also been expanded.
Dr. Crocitto added most cancer patients should get vaccinated for COVID-19.
"The CDC and all the big cancer organizations are recommending that cancer patients do get vaccinated. We know that cancer patients are at higher risk to have complications - and bad complications - from COVID," she said. "Please communicate with your health care provider, with your oncologist, to make sure there’s no contraindications or special timing that should occur with the vaccine."
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