Pandemic slowed cancer diagnoses, but late-stage cancers came back with a vengeance
A new study emphasizes how, because of disruptions in care during the pandemic, patients were more likely to get diagnosed with deadly metastatic disease — across nearly all cancer types.
Early-stage cancer diagnoses decreased by nearly 20% in the first year of the Covid-19 pandemic. A new study published in Lancet Oncology emphasizes how, because of disruptions in care, patients were more likely to get diagnosed with deadly metastatic disease — across nearly all cancer types.
This study is the most comprehensive analysis of cancer diagnoses during the pandemic, using a nationwide registry that captures over 70% of all cancers in the United States. The starkest decline was observed after the initial shutdowns, with the regular 70,000 monthly cancer diagnoses (captured by the study’s inclusion criteria) being cut in half in April 2020.
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