Title: COVID-19 Pandemic Causes Significant Drop in Cancer Diagnoses, Raising Concerns of Future Spike in Deaths
In a worrisome trend, preventive cancer screenings and early diagnoses have plummeted during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. This decline has raised concerns among medical experts about a potential increase in cancer-related deaths in the coming years. The National Cancer Institute has reported a decrease in the number of breast, lung, colorectal, thyroid, prostate, and pancreatic cancer cases between March and May 2020, attributing it to disruptions in healthcare caused by the pandemic.
Screening measures, crucial for catching female breast, lung, and colorectal cancers in their early stages, have seen the largest declines. Consequently, healthcare professionals are now worried that it may take years for Americans to catch up on their preventative healthcare, resulting in unnecessary complications and fatalities. The repercussions of missed cancer screening appointments in 2020 are already becoming apparent, with an 11 percent increase in the number of patients diagnosed with advanced-stage cancer.
Dr. Monica Bertagnolli, director of the National Cancer Institute, stressed the urgent need to get Americans back on track with their cancer care. She emphasized that avoiding unnecessary deaths and complications relies on promptly addressing the current setbacks caused by the pandemic. To underscore this point, the National Cancer Institute, in collaboration with other organizations, conducted the largest study to date analyzing cancer data from 2015 to 2020. The findings revealed fewer new cancer diagnoses in 2020 than expected, particularly for localized colorectal, breast, lung, prostate, thyroid, and pancreatic cancers.
The study’s projections align with a previous investigation that discovered a troubling 15 percent drop in new cancer diagnoses in 2020 compared to the previous year, primarily affecting stage 1 cancers. The severity of delayed diagnosis is a cause for concern as it often leads to more aggressive diseases and worse outcomes for patients.
Experts stress the critical importance of making up for lost ground in cancer detection, as this allows for early treatment opportunities and maximizes chances of survival. Delaying cancer diagnoses significantly limits the potential benefits of life-saving treatments. As the fight against COVID-19 continues, it becomes increasingly urgent to address the collateral damage caused by the pandemic and focus on catching up with missed cancer screenings to ensure that every opportunity for effective treatment is utilized and lives are saved.
