Cancer Surgeries Plunge At Tokyo Hospital
NHK has learned that the number of cancer surgeries performed at a Tokyo hospital plunged last year. The trend is being attributed to a fall in screenings due to fears about the coronavirus pandemic.
Annually, the Cancer Institute Hospital normally performs about 500 stomach cancer surgeries, and about 1,200 breast cancer surgeries.
But it says stomach cancer surgeries in 2020 decreased by 32 percent from the previous year. Those for the earliest stage of the disease were down 50 percent.
Breast cancer surgeries from April to December fell by 19 percent. Early "stage 1" surgeries were down 27 percent.
Director Sano Takeshi says he is seeing more cases of late-stage cancers than usual. He's concerned this could be happening nationwide due to the decline in screenings.
Sano says people should go to the hospital without hesitation if they have any symptoms, and also undergo regular examinations.
The hospital says the number of surgeries has returned to normal since fall.