February 28, 2024
Undiagnosed Cancer Cases in the US During the First 10 Months of the COVID-19 Pandemic
JAMA Oncology released a study on the undiagnosed cancer cases in the US during the first 10 months of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The discovery of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in 2019 and the ensuing global COVID-19 pandemic led to unprecedented disruptions across all parts of society. Yet while the world focused on the threat posed by a novel respiratory virus, the threat of cancer remained ever present, and any associated reduction in observed cancer incidence during this period is of particular concern. Unlike other population health outcomes studied, a decline in new cancer diagnoses in 2020 does not indicate that cancer occurrence in the US decreased, but rather that new cancers were undetected.1–3 The longer cancer exists undetected, the greater the risk of tumor progression and the lower the chances of survival and other positive outcomes for patients.4
The negative association of the pandemic response with cancer diagnoses was widely anticipated. However, the data needed to assess the extent of this relationship were not available in the US until recently.5–7 The present study uses 2020 US cancer incidence data to conduct an in-depth analysis of disruptions and delays in cancer diagnoses during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic.”
To read the full article click here: Undiagnosed Cancer Cases in the US During the First 10 Months of the COVID-19 Pandemic | Oncology | JAMA Oncology | JAMA Network