According to researchers, there was a 14.4% decrease in newly reported cancer diagnoses in 2020 compared to previous years, which appears to be associated with the implementation of stay-at-home orders during the initial months of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Based on an analysis of reported cases of new cancer diagnoses in the National Cancer Database (NCDB), a study has estimated that approximately 200,000 individuals with cancer may not have been diagnosed or treated at Commission on Cancer-accredited facilities at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. This coincides with the implementation of triage guidelines that recommended delays in cancer-related care during the same time period.
The lead author of the study noted that the analysis revealed a consistent trend of declining cancer cases starting in March 2020, with the lowest point observed in April, and only a partial recovery during the mid-year. However, there was no rebound observed in terms of backlogged cases or a return to the levels of cancer cases seen in previous years.
The study was recently published in the Journal of the American Medical Association Surgery.
