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New cancer cases at the time of SARS-Cov2 pandemic and related public health policies: A persistent and concerning

Emmanuelle Kempf1, Guillaume Lamé2, Richard Layese3

  • 1Assistance Publique - Hôpitaux de Paris, Department of Medical Oncology, Henri Mondor and Albert Chenevier Teaching Hospital, Créteil, France.

European Journal of Cancer (Oxford, England : 1990)
|May 3, 2021
PubMed
Abstract

Insights

The COVID-19 pandemic caused a significant drop in new cancer diagnoses, with a 30% decrease during the French lockdown. This delay in cancer detection may impact future patient outcomes.

Area of Science:

  • Oncology
  • Epidemiology
  • Public Health

Background:

  • The COVID-19 pandemic's rapid spread (SARS-CoV-2) disrupted healthcare systems globally.
  • Cancer diagnosis and treatment pathways were significantly affected by public health measures, including lockdowns.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To quantify the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and associated lockdown measures on the incidence of new cancer diagnoses.
  • To analyze trends in new cancer cases across different tumor types and age groups before, during, and after the initial lockdown period in France.

Main Methods:

  • Prospective collection of clinical data from 11.4 million patients at Assistance Publique Hôpitaux de Paris.
  • Identification and comparison of new cancer cases diagnosed between January 2018 and September 2020, with a focus on the French lockdown period (March-May 2020).
  • Analysis of cancer incidence rates by tumor type and patient age.

Main Results:

  • A total of 23,734 new cancer cases were recorded in 2020, a decrease from 28,348 in 2018 and 27,272 in 2019.
  • During the lockdown (March-May 2020), new cancer diagnoses fell by 30% compared to the 2018-2019 average.
  • This decline was observed across all major cancer types, including colorectal, lung, breast, and prostate cancers, with younger patients (<70 years) showing a notable decrease in colorectal and breast cancer diagnoses in April.

Conclusions:

  • The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic resulted in a substantial reduction in the detection of new cancer cases.
  • The observed delays in cancer diagnosis due to the pandemic may have long-term implications for patient prognosis and clinical outcomes.
Keywords:
COVID-19Early detection of cancerHealth policyIncidence

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