Fact Checked Source: 

Lessons from cancer patients in the time of coronavirus

"For the immunocompromised and those with disease, social distancing and uncertainty are a way of life."

This quote set the starting point that even without the current COVID-19 pandemic, those that are immunocompromised and with cancer already need to be social distancing just as everyone is now. This statement was found to be true according to a page on cancercenter.com that described to necessary precautions that cancer patients need to take to stay safe, such as social distancing.

"Not cancer, but a brand-new coronavirus to which we have no immunity and no treatment."

I wanted to check this claim because I felt a precedence needed to be set and shown that there is currently no cure for COVID-19. This fact was then proven correct by the World Health Organization.

'“I’m seeing a lot of people in denial,” she said.'

This claim from a cancer survivor in the article I thought needed to be checked to see the validity of the statement the statement the people may be in denial or not taking COVID-19 seriously because it is hugely important in the eventual outcome of this pandemic. This claim was found to be factual according to a NPR/PBS News Hour/The Marist poll released around the same time as this articles release that showed this statement above to be factual.

"Avoiding infection is standard operating procedure. 'It’s extreme, particularly with a transplant,'"

I wanted to explore this claim to see if it is true that people with transplants are at a more extreme risk than others because I think it is important to understand the increased risks people with sure conditions face. This statement was proven true by transplantliving.com.

“Walking outside reduces my anxiety”

I wanted to explore this claim but not about whether walking outside reduces this individuals anxiety, but instead if there is merit for that being a fact that walking outside reduces anxiety. I felt this was important because it can give more validity to this advice. Upon research I found this to be true according to stress.org.

Analysis:

I will be exploring the perspective of cancer patients and survivors during this COVID-19 pandemic. The main source I have explored is an article written by Diane Mapes for fredhutch.org. This article compiles many short descriptions and quotes of many different cancer patients and survivors. It details how COVID-19 has affected them and what they are doing to keep a positive attitude during these hard times. Due to the large number of people quoted in this article and the fact that they all are current cancer patients or survivors, this article provides an insightful view into the perspective of cancer patients and survivors during this pandemic. The article has two main claims with the first being that while cancer patients and survivors are at a significantly higher risk of infection and a severe case due to being immunocompromised, it is important to keep a positive attitude while staying safe and social distancing as much as possible and the second being that while the social distancing and extra precautions may seem like a great deal to the average person, to someone with cancer it is very similar to normal.

With the COVID-19 outbreak continuing to spread across the country and all but a couple states on lockdown, to most people these new regulations and guidelines of social distancing may seem difficult and extreme. But for many immunocompromised people the new social distancing guidelines that everyone must follow are something they are probably already very familiar with. In the article's opening line it reads “For the immunocompromised and those with disease, social distancing and uncertainty are a way of life” (Mapes, 2020). This is a central claim throughout the article and is backed up by many quotes describing how even before the COVID-19 outbreak, cancer patients and immunocompromised survivors have always had to take the necessary precautions that we all must now.

It has been seen throughout the world that the virus hits people with preexisting conditions such as this the hardest. This is why everyone's social distancing is so important for this group of people. And while in the article a cancer survivor named Roy says that “​Cancer absolutely preps you for something like this” (Mapes, 2020), he says of the rest of the population that “I’m seeing a lot of people in denial” (Mapes, 2020). This is what makes spreading the facts of the risks that immunocompromised people face due to this virus so important to them. Most people have a low risk of losing their life to this virus, but someone who is immunocompromised has a significantly higher chance.

Due to this in​creased risk, cancer patients and survivors must take even more care and precaution during these times. And in many cases currently that means changes in treatment plans and schedules that may be of adverse cause to their health. In another article from The Guardian written by Lucy Gossage, a practicing oncologist, she describes how “We will, no doubt, see some patients die sooner, not because of coronavirus but because we are not able to treat their cancers as we would normally” (Gossage, 2020). This is a terrifying reality that during these times cancer patients may not receive the right care that they need, but unfortunately it is a reality at this time for that community. Not only can the same treatments not be administered that would normally be, but the meetings to discuss this are interrupted and affected by the necessity to social distance as described by Iranian Oncologist in a scholarly journal that “Therefore, after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in Iran, head and neck tumor board are held as Virtual MDT meetings” (Salari, 2020). These vital meetings must take place online and could result in technical issues that would affect the meetings and thus the treatment of these patients.

The article was mostly positive though with survivors giving many encouraging ways that people can stay busy and happy during these stressful times given their experience with very similar situations. Survivors give ideas ranging from walking outside to reduce anxiety and dancing to bring joy. And while they do also describe this current situation as being “back in survival mode” (Mapes, 2020), the overall message is of staying positive. The goal of this article is not just to inform non cancer survivors and patients what it is like to be one during these times, but to share their perspective on how they and everyone should be dealing with is pandemic. They both need the help of everyone for their own safety as well as want to spread the message of how to stay positive and menatlly healthy during these stressful times. The perspective of the cancer patient and survivor in this given time is that while dealing with this is in ways no different than what they’ve had to do before, they need the everyone else to follow suite for everyone’s safety and well being.

References:

​Mapes D. (2020, March 20). Lessons from cancer patients in the time of coronavirus. Retrieved from https://www.fredhutch.org/en/news/center-news/2020/03/lessons-from-cancer-patients-in-the-time -of-coronavirus.html

This source is an article about how cancer patients and survivors and dealing with COVID-19, both emotionally and physically. It has a variety of quotes from actual cancer survivors and patients about cancer and COVID-19 that is accumulated by the writer.
The key ideas of this article are that cancer patients feel during these times it is important to know that denial is not a good strategy to manage this, to be prepared but don't panic, and it is important to stay connected. The evidence provided are direct quotes from patients and survivors. This will provide good evidence for the perspective of cancer patients and survivors because it is primarily quotes and stories about just those people.

Offit C. (2020, March 20). Life with Cancer During the Novel Coronavirus Pandemic (COVID-19). (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.cancerresearch.org/blog/march-2020/life-with-cancer-coronavirus-pandemic-covid-19

This source is an interview with Drew Griffin, a cancer survivor, done by Caroline Offit for cancerresearch.org. The main purpose of this article is to inform what it is like to be a cancer patient currently during this worldwide pandemic. The key ideas of the interview are how coronavirus has affected his day-to-day life and what changes he and others around him have had to make. He also gives a short list of advice for other cancer patients and the caregivers. I believe it will provide good evidence of the perspective of cancer patients because it is a direct interview of someone who actually had cancer.

Gossage, L. (2020, March 19). Coronavirus means difficult, life-changing decisions for me and my cancer patients. Retrieved from

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2020/mar/19/cancer-patients-coronavirus-outbreak-difficult-decisions

This is an article from the online news source The Guardian. It shows the perspective of the doctors treating cancer patients as it is written by one. The main ideas in this article show the difficult choices that must be made due to how COVID-19 is affecting the treatment of cancer patients. It contrasts the other sources that focus just on the patients. This allows the full perspective of patients with cancer during this pandemic to be seen.

Salari, A., & Shirkhoda, M. (2020, April 8). COVID-19 pandemic & head and neck cancer patients management: The role of virtual multidisciplinary team meetings. Oral Oncology, 104693. doi: 10.1016/j.oraloncology.2020.104693This is an entry in the journal Oral Oncology written by two authors and they are both medical professionals at the Cancer Institute of Iran. It is a writing by a medical professional discussing how meetings for cancer patients are being affected and how they will work going on. The main thesis of this entry is that the multidisciplinary team meetings will be unable to take place in person and will instead need to take place via a virtual meeting platform. This shows how the process of treatment itself is affected from a medical professionals point of view which adds more depth to the overall perspective of how cancer patients are affected by the coronavirus.

Home. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.who.int/

Home of the Marist Poll. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://maristpoll.marist.edu/npr-pbs-newshour-marist-poll-results-coronavirus/#sthash.5kaaq4jB.dpbs

How Being Outdoors and Getting Active Impacts Stress Management. (2020, February 28). Retrieved from https://www.stress.org/how-being-outdoors-and-getting-active-impacts-stress-management​​​​​​​

Infections and immunity. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://transplantliving.org/after-the-transplant/preventing-rejection/infections-and-immunity/

Protecting yourself during cancer treatment. (2020, January 22). Retrieved from https://www.cancercenter.com/community/blog/2018/03/protecting-yourself-during-cancer-treatment