COVID treatment protocol has the accidental consequence of detection of lung cancer in several people who were not aware of their condition, which had the effect that their treatment was started early, improving odds of recovery. Doctors stated that in India the lung cancer mostly gets detected at an advanced stage. Approximately, 75% of all the detected cases are generally diagnosed in Stage 4, and the prognosis is bad as compared for Stages 1-3.

Due to strict COVID-19 protocol, doctors had detected lung cancer in an elderly man and woman in Bengaluru who also had contracted coronavirus infection. The doctors were able to start treatment early with good outcomes.

A 69-year-old man came with a severe case of COVID-19 in July 2020. He suffered severe hypoxia and his oxygen saturation levels had also dropped. He was supposed to undergo a CT scan of the chest. The CT scan showed features of a coronavirus infection in the lungs and also noticed a lung lesion. The man recovered from coronavirus infection in 20 days, and then was advised to meet an oncologist too. A PET scan was recommended and the lesion was indicative of early-stage cancer. He underwent a biopsy and it revealed that the lesion was cancerous.

Dr Vishwanath S, Consultant for medical oncology, Apollo Hospital Cancer Centre said that the old man was diagnosed with stage 2 cancer and was also treated. Early diagnosis certainly had helped the patient to recover.

In another case, a 74-year-old woman with severe COVID symptoms, was asked to undergo a CT scan of the chest. The scan showed a lung lesion along with a lymph node that was spread in the chest, with other COVID features. She was then given radiation therapy and has been on follow-up treatment.

Dr Vishwanath said that they are seeing many non-smokers and women who are being diagnosed with lung cancer, unlike earlier, when lung cancer affected the smokers only.

Source: The New Indian Express