The development of anti-cancer drugs has been reduced by 60% due to the coronavirus. Scientists say this is troubling since the fight against oncological diseases might get complicated after the pandemic is over.

According to medportal.ru, based on the calculations of the World Health Organization, the number of oncological diseases will grow by 60% worldwide in the next twenty years.

Experts at The Lancet believe the pandemic may considerably worsen the situation in relation to oncological diseases. After the pandemic spread across the globe, many research institutes and organizations mobilized their resources to conduct research on the virus. Over the past 40 months, various countries have conducted 1,440 clinical tests for the treatment of oncological diseases, and only 191 tests were launched during the pandemic.

“The pandemic will end one day, but cancer will remain. We need to do everything possible to make sure we resume the development of new methods for treatment of oncological diseases as soon as possible,” says Fareed Melhem, who leads Acorn Al Labs.