Climate Disasters and Healthcare Collapse Linked to Delayed Cancer Detection, Study Warns

Puerto Rico’s back-to-back hurricanes in 2017 and the COVID-19 pandemic did more than displace communities and strain hospitals—they quietly fueled a hidden crisis in cancer care, according to a stark analysis published in Cancer. Researchers now warn that climate-driven disasters, intensifying globally, could leave thousands undiagnosed until it’s too late.

Using a decade of data (2012–2021) from Puerto Rico’s Central Cancer Registry, the team identified alarming patterns: Colon cancer diagnoses plummeted during catastrophic events but resurged months later as advanced, harder-to-treat cases. In September 2017, one month after Hurricanes Irma and Maria ravaged the island, just 82 colon cancer cases were recorded—half the expected 161. Similarly, April 2020 saw only 50 diagnoses, a third of projections.

“These aren’t just numbers. Each gap represents real people slipping through cracks in a fractured system,” said Dr. Tonatiuh Suárez-Ramos, co-lead author and researcher at the University of Puerto Rico Comprehensive Cancer Center. Over 18,500 first-time colon cancer cases were analyzed, revealing a persistent deficit in early-stage detections post-disasters. By 2021, late-stage diagnoses had surged beyond forecasts, suggesting screenings were delayed, not avoided.

The Domino Effect of Disrupted Care

Clinics shuttered, roads blocked, and pandemic lockdowns didn’t just pause routine care—they created “diagnostic blackouts,” the authors argue. Early-stage cancers thrive on timeliness; when screenings stall, tumors advance unnoticed. “A missed mammogram or colonoscopy today could mean metastatic disease tomorrow,” said Dr. Karen Ortiz-Ortiz, the study’s senior investigator.

The implications stretch far beyond Puerto Rico. As climate change escalates—supercharging hurricanes, wildfires, and floods—the U.S. Geological Survey warns of compounding threats to healthcare infrastructure. “Systems already stretched thin will face recurring stress tests,” Ortiz-Ortiz added. “Resilience isn’t optional—it’s survival.”

A Call for Crisis-Proof Medicine

The study urges policymakers to reimagine disaster response with cancer care in mind: mobile screening units, telehealth expansions, and redundant power systems for clinics. “We’re racing against a warming planet’s clock,” Suárez-Ramos said. “The goal isn’t just recovery—it’s ensuring no patient pays for a hurricane with their life.”

For now, the data serves as both a blueprint and a warning: In the climate era, healthcare isn’t just about treating disease—it’s about outsmarting the storms.