Insights into the Impact of Hesitancy on Cancer Care and COVID-19

SIMPLE SUMMARY: The impact of COVID-19 on cancer diagnosis and management during the pandemic remains uncertain. The risk of infection and travel restrictions made some cancer patients reluctant or unable to travel, hindering their access to diagnostic procedures and treatment. The pandemic also led to a shortage of health-care personnel, forcing cancer centers to limit or postpone screening procedures, such as mammography and colonoscopy, as well as elective surgeries, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy. Ophthalmic and ENT procedures, endoscopy, intubation, surgery, and chemotherapy infusions were also canceled to minimize close contact during the pandemic. This review will explore how delays in seeking medical care and reluctance to receive COVID-19 vaccinations have affected cancer patients. ABSTRACT: World Health Organization findings indicate that the COVID-19 pandemic adversely affected cancer diagnosis and management. The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the optimal management of outpatient appointments, scheduled treatments, and hospitalizations for cancer patients because of hesitancy among patients and health-care providers. Travel restrictions and other factors likely affected medical, surgical, and radiation treatments during the COVID-19 pandemic. Cancer patients were more likely to be affected by severe illness and complications if they contracted COVID-19. A compromised immune system and comorbidities in cancer patients may have contributed to this increased risk. Hesitancy or reluctance to receive appropriate therapy or vaccination advice might have played a major role for cancer patients, resulting in health-care deficits. The purpose of this review is to evaluate the impact of COVID-19 on screening, entry into clinical trials, and hesitancy among patients and health-care professionals, limiting adjuvant and metastatic cancer treatment.