50% DECLINE IN CANCER DIAGNOSIS OF CHILDREN IN LAST 6 MONTHS: DOCTOR

New Delhi: The Covid-19 pandemic has taken a toll on timely diagnosis and treatment of chronic diseases for over ten months now. Preventive care for diseases like cancer is among the worst-hit especially among children with cancer and chronic blood disorders. Parents have been extra apprehensive and sceptical of taking their children to hospitals who are in need of cancer care and management as these children are immunocompromised and hence are more vulnerable to Covid-19 complications.

“Over the past five years, Delhi has reported the highest number of cases of childhood cancer with approximately 253.3 boys per million cases and 152.3 girls per million cases between the age of 2-11 years. The most common cancer reported in children was Leukemia. One of the key reasons behind Delhi reporting the highest number of cases is the drainage of patients in Delhi from nearby states where the pediatric oncology services are not robust,” said Dr Gaurav Kharya, Senior Consultant, Pediatric Hematology, Oncology and Immunology, Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals, New Delhi.

“The pandemic literally brought the world to a standstill and paediatric cancer cases are no exception to this. We witnessed a drop in the number of cases. Even the cases who were suspected or diagnosed at the periphery and were referred to paediatric oncology setups for further care did not report to the tertiary care centres due to the pandemic fear,” he added.