Dr. Au on the Impact of COVID-19 on Cancer Care

Lewis Au, MBBS, BMedSci, FRACP, an oncology research fellow and visiting scientist at The Royal Marsden National Health Service Foundation Trust and Cancer Dynamics Laboratory, Francis Crick Institute, discusses the impact that COVID-19 has had and will continue to have on cancer care.

The oncology community faced numerous challenges throughout the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic that will need to be addressed in due course, Au says. For example, the effects of delays in cancer diagnoses during the various peaks of the pandemic will be seen over the coming months and years, according to Au.

The recovery of healthcare services will also need to be addressed, Au notes. Moreover, providers will need to consider what lasting changes will need to be implemented in cancer care to prepare for potential future spikes of COVID-19 or other infectious disease scenarios, Au concludes.