Are Chemotherapy and Cancer Care at Home the best possible option amidst Lockdown?

COVID-19 and it’s rapid spread worldwide, causing an almost-complete global lockdown, has prompted cancer patients to look for an alternative to institutional cancer treatment options. Healthcare service providers have recognized the changing needs and created an option of chemotherapy and cancer care at home.

Not every cancer patient is onboard this option at the moment. Why?

• They are concerned about the effectiveness of a home-setting for such a crucial healthcare service.
• They are concerned about the risk of infection cleanliness because of allowing healthcare workers in their homes due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
• They are concerned about the increased prices of such services.

If you’re a cancer patient or have a loved one who is one, you might be wondering if it is the right decision for you. Look, you can consult a trusted cancer doctor for in-depth information like Dr. Manish Singhal, considered to be the best oncologist in Delhi NCR; but, here are some facts to guide you.

Are cancer patients at a higher risk of COVID-19 infection?

This has been discussed many times but still confuses cancer patients, their loved ones, and even some cancer doctors updating themselves as they go.

So, are cancer patients at a higher risk of COVID-19 infection?

Cancer itself DOES NOT make cancer patients vulnerable to COVID-19 infection, lowered immunity due to cancer treatment does. If you were to consult a cancer specialist in Delhi NCR or anywhere else in the world, they would tell you the same thing. All cancer treatments do not affect your immunity; chemotherapy and radiotherapy are some of the treatments that do. You can have a discussion with your cancer doctor about the kind of treatment you can opt for that works best for you.

Okay, now you must understand that if you’re immunocompromised or immune-deficient, there is a higher risk of getting infected with COVID-19 or experiencing the worse spectrum of symptoms. But, that does not mean you won’t survive it, or that infection or severe symptoms are a given for you. No. That is not the case; just the chances are higher for such cancer patients.

So, is chemotherapy and cancer care at home the best choice for cancer patients during the lockdown?

Chemotherapy and cancer care at home amidst lockdown

Some cancer doctors in India and worldwide are offering chemotherapy and cancer care at home for cancer patients, like Dr. Manish Singhal, a cancer specialist in Delhi NCR. This service is being heavily appreciated by patients and their concerned loved ones. Patients are asking for in-home blood cancer, multiple myeloma, ovarian cancer, and breast cancer treatment in Delhi, India, and all around the world.

Is it a preferred mode of treatment? No. But, these are different times, and patients, as well as doctors, are considering non-traditional ways to continue their chemo or additional cancer treatments through the lockdown. It is widely agreed that cancer patients should spend most of their time at home and not out in the community during this pandemic. Also, some of the best oncologists in Delhi NCR and around the world providing this service like Dr. Manish Singhal say that since the first few sessions are completed in the clinic/hospital itself, further treatment can be made available under the guidance of the patient’s oncologist with the help of the patient’s regular hospital/clinic.

Was this service available before the pandemic? Technically, yes. But, the need for such services hiked only because of the extended lockdown due to the pandemic.

What happens in an at-home chemotherapy and cancer care set-up

A trained and certified chemotherapy nurse supervised by a hospital appointed cancer doctor or oncologist administers pills, injections, IV chemotherapy, antibiotics, or therapies administered via patch or suppository to cancer patients. Not only that, but the nurse also reviews the patient’s health history, keeps a coherent and updated medical record while tracking pathological, laboratory, as well as, image studies. The professional also monitors the emotional and physical status of the cancer patient communicating with the oncologist regularly.

What conclusion do we draw?

If we had to draw an inference from what we learned about at-home chemotherapy and cancer care, it would be that it is a great service for cancer patients during the lockdown and while the virus persists. It might be safer for Cancer patients to choose this form of cancer treatment rather than the in-clinic format because even if the lockdown ends soon, the virus might not. Till then, this might be the best option. For more information on this, you can always talk to expert oncologists like Dr. Manish Singhal.

ALSO READ: Advisory for Cancer Patients during COVID Pandemic