Cancer screenings down due to pandemic

Ontario County, New York – According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report, breast and cervical cancer screenings are down about 80 percent.

Deborah Havert was first diagnosed with breast cancer in November 2017. Three months later, she had her first mastectomy, which ultimately removed three tumors.

“Initially, it was supposed to be a lumpectomy, but the night before, after another testing was done, they figured out all three of them were cancerous so it had to be a full mastectomy,” she said.

The pandemic has had a drastic effect on cancer screenings, doctors at Elizabeth Wende Breast Care in Rochester say.

“March through really the end of June there was no screening going on, so we’ve had thousands of women that didn’t come into any of our facilities,” Dr. Stamatia Destounis said. “Still to this day, we’ve had trouble getting these patients to come back.”

Tumors that could have been caught early now have time to grow, adding potential complications.

“So what we are finding is that some of these women are coming back and they’re 18 months later or a two-year mark and they have something and it’s larger than obviously if they would have been here before so we’re seeing some larger tumors that are preventing themselves,” Dr. Destounis said. “It’s unfortunate because we certainly like to be picking those up yearly to yearly more.”

According to Havert, a cancer patient, she felt worried about going to the doctor’s office during the pandemic. But as COVID restrictions have lifted, she said she’s hopeful people will take advantage of screenings.

“I’m hoping now that we’re returning a little back to normal, more people will feel comfortable getting caught up,” she said. “Sign up for that mammogram, get it done, and just know you’re okay. If not, know that there’s a journey ahead of you but there’s a plan that you can now put into place.”

Doctors are finding patients are skipping out on many preventative screenings, including check-ups.