Natural disasters limit people’s access to cancer screening, which results in the deadly condition not being caught at an earlier
Hurricanes, earthquakes, floods, volcano eruptions, and much more—nature seems angry as climate change has fuelled a record number of natural disasters in the past few years. According to a new study, these natural disasters are now winding up increasing cancer deaths.
Researchers reported in the journal Cancer that the rates of colon cancer diagnoses have dropped during and after Hurricanes Irma and Maria—which hit Puerto Rico two weeks apart—as well as during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, late-stage colon cancer diagnoses have spiked in number big time, exceeding expectations.
Scientists say it means that the hurricanes limited people’s access to screening, which resulted in the deadly condition not being caught at an earlier and more treatable stage. “These findings suggest that limited health care access during these events may have delayed cancer detection and may have worsened health outcomes,” co-lead researcher Tonatiuh Suarez-Ramos of the University of Puerto Rico Comprehensive Cancer Centre said in a news release.
How was the study conducted?
To conduct their research, scientists analyzed data from the Puerto Rico Central Cancer Registry - which maintains information on all cancer cases diagnosed and treated there from 2012 to 2021.
According to the experts, at least 18,000 people received a first-time diagnosis of colon cancer during that period, and so, based on trends, the expected number of colon cancer cases in September 2017 — the month after Irma and Maria hit — would have been 161. Instead, only around 80 cases were diagnosed that month—less than half. A second decline occurred following pandemic lockdown restrictions, researchers noted. In April 2020, only 50 colon cancer cases were diagnosed, three times fewer than the 162 cases that would have been expected.
“We believe that these changes in trends after the hurricanes and the COVID‐19 pandemic were caused by disruptions in the availability and continuity of oncology services,” the researchers concluded in their paper. Such disruptions in screening could lead to more colon cancer cases “diagnosed at later stages in the future, which potentially can lower survival rates,” they added.
Why are natural disasters increasing cancer cases?
According to experts, due to severe climate changes, natural disasters are becoming more common across the world - as increasing temperatures bring on more intense storms, devastating wildfires, and rising sea levels.
Experts believe the governments need to push and plan for better healthcare services for such disasters that happen on a large scale and find ways for people to get the much-needed cancer screenings.
How does cancer screening help prevent the disease?
Cancer screening helps prevent the disease mainly by detecting it at an early, treatable stage before symptoms begin to develop. According to doctors, early detection allows for prompt treatment, which increases the chances of successful treatment and even cure.
In many cases of cancers like colon and cervical cancer screenings, they can even help prevent the disease by identifying and removing precancerous polyps or abnormal cells.
Different types of cancer screening tests exist, including physical exams, laboratory tests, imaging procedures, and genetic tests, each designed to detect specific types of cancer.
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