Undiagnosed Cancer Cases in the US During the First 10 Months of the COVID-19 Pandemic
Contact us if these videos are not relevant.
Contact us if these videos are not relevant.
View abstract on PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.The COVID-19 pandemic caused a significant drop in cancer diagnoses, with over 134,000 potentially missed cases in the US. This highlights the need to improve cancer screening and detection efforts post-pandemic.
Area Of Science
- Oncology
- Public Health
- Epidemiology
Background
- The COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacted healthcare services, including cancer screening and diagnosis.
- A comprehensive national analysis of this disruption using cancer registry data was lacking.
Purpose Of The Study
- To assess cancer incidence trends in the US from March to December 2020.
- To quantify the disruption in cancer detection caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Main Methods
- Population-based cross-sectional analysis of invasive cancer diagnoses from US Cancer Statistics (2018-2020).
- Time-series forecasting used to estimate expected cancer rates based on prepandemic trends.
- Comparison of observed versus expected incidence rates to determine missed cancer cases.
Main Results
- A 13.0% decrease in overall cancer incidence was observed during the first 10 months of the pandemic, equating to approximately 134,395 potentially missed diagnoses.
- Prostate, female breast, and lung cancers accounted for the largest numbers of missed cases.
- Screenable cancers, including female breast, colorectal, cervical, and lung, showed reduced incidence rates, with varying degrees of recovery.
Conclusions
- The COVID-19 pandemic caused a substantial disruption in cancer diagnoses across the US.
- Findings underscore the need for targeted interventions to address the backlog in cancer screening and detection.
- Understanding these disruptions is crucial for optimizing future cancer care strategies.
Contact us if these videos are not relevant.
Contact us if these videos are not relevant.
Related Concept Videos
Cancers arise due to mutations in genes involved in the regulation of cell division, which leads to unrestricted cell proliferation. Modern science and medicine have made great strides in the understanding and treatment of cancer, including eradicating cancer in some patients. However, there is still no cure for cancer. This is largely due to the fact that cancer is a large group of many diseases.
Tumors may result in a case where two people have the same mutations in an oncogene or tumor...
Cancer survival analysis focuses on quantifying and interpreting the time from a key starting point, such as diagnosis or the initiation of treatment, to a specific endpoint, such as remission or death. This analysis provides critical insights into treatment effectiveness and factors that influence patient outcomes, helping to shape clinical decisions and guide prognostic evaluations. A cornerstone of oncology research, survival analysis tackles the challenges of skewed, non-normally...
Several factors can increase the risk of cancer in an individual. About 50% of cancer cases can be prevented by adopting a healthy lifestyle, regular exercise, eating healthy, and following a modest cancer prevention diet. Epidemiological studies have consistently shown that populations with vegetable and fruit-rich diets have reduced the incidence of cancer. On the other hand, populations who have a diet rich in animal fat, red meat, junk food, or high calories are predisposed to cancer.
Some...
Cancer arises from mutations in the critical genes that allow healthy cells to escape cell cycle regulation and acquire the ability to proliferate indefinitely. Though originating from a single mutation event in one of the originator cells, cancer progresses when the mutant cell lines continue to gain more and more mutations, and finally, become malignant. For example, chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) develops initially as a non-lethal increase in white blood cells, which progressively...
Tumor progression is a phenomenon where the pre-formed tumor acquires successive mutations to become clinically more aggressive and malignant. In the 1950s, Foulds first described the stepwise progression of cancer cells through successive stages.
Colon cancer is one of the best-documented examples of tumor progression. Early mutation in the APC gene in colon cells causes a small growth on the colon wall called a polyp. With time, this polyp grows into a benign, pre-cancerous tumor. Further...
Cells and tissues must meticulously coordinate their activities for the normal functioning of the human body. Therefore, they exhibit socially responsible behavior - resting, growing, dividing, differentiating, or dying - for the organism’s benefit. Cancer arises when cells divide uncontrollably and invade other tissues or organs.
Although people have known about cancer for centuries, it was only in 1761 that Giovanni Morgagni of Padua performed a detailed autopsy of...