Cancer patients and researchers have been pushed to adapt and adjust by COVID-19. Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center's Dr. Tom Lynch, president and director and holder of the Raisbeck Endowed Chair, led a conversation with Dr. Nancy Davidson, Dr. John K. Lee, and Kristi Stiffler on the pandemic's effects on cancer patients, care efforts, research and clinical trials.
The experts shared what they have experienced and how they have had to make changes to ensure their focus remains on developing new treatments.
Watch the full event below or read the transcript.
Here are a few insights from the discussion:
Fred Hutch's research is all systems go, and patients have the full range of clinical trials available. "Our researchers are thinking about how they are going to move their research forward every single day and making sure we can keep it safe for patients," said Davidson, who holds the Raisbeck Endowed Chair for Collaborative Research.
Don't delay your cancer screenings. While screenings like mammograms and colonoscopies were paused at the beginning of the pandemic, they are now available, safe to receive, and could save your life. An estimated 10,000 more people will die from breast and colon cancer over the next decade because they missed early diagnoses during the pandemic. Remind your friends and family as well.
We're breaking new ground. In just the last month, Fred Hutch opened the reimagined and renovated Steam Plant and a new COVID-19 Clinical Research Center, while Seattle Cancer Care Alliance broke ground on a new wing. Davidson and Lee also described promising research for advanced bladder, breast and prostate cancers.
