Medical Professionals Strive to Compensate for Missed and Delayed Cancer Screenings During the Pandemic

 

Medical Professionals Strive to Compensate for Missed and Delayed Cancer Screenings During the Pandemic

Cancer Services Face Prolonged Recovery After COVID-19 Pandemic

Cancer experts are issuing a cautionary message, stating that it may take quite some time before cancer services can fully recover to pre-COVID-19 levels. However, there is a pressing need to address the ground lost during the pandemic.

In a recent report published in the journal Cancer, researchers shed light on the significant decline in cancer screenings and subsequent diagnoses that occurred in the United States during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. This data has raised concerns about the future of cancer outcomes.

The report underscores that in the first year of the pandemic, there were substantial drops in newly diagnosed cases of six major cancers: colorectal, female breast, lung, pancreas, prostate, and thyroid. These declines are largely attributed to individuals canceling or delaying cancer screenings while adhering to stay-at-home measures, thereby resulting in delayed diagnosis and treatment.

The report's authors, including researchers from the National Cancer Institute, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the American Cancer Society, and other US institutions, emphasize that the suspension of cancer-related procedures has created a backlog in health services, leading to extended wait times for cancer surgery. Even though the Biden administration aimed to end the public health emergency in May 2023, it is anticipated that it will take a considerable amount of time for cancer services to return to pre-pandemic levels.

At the outset of the pandemic, it was estimated that nearly 10 million cancer screenings were missed. Dr. Lisa Richardson, Director of the CDC's Division of Cancer Prevention and Control, emphasizes the importance of resuming routine healthcare, including cancer screenings, stating, "Cancer doesn't wait, neither should you." She points out that even when screenings and cancer services return to pre-pandemic levels, there will still be a need to "catch up" on the missed screenings by those 10 million individuals.

Regarding the report, researchers analyzed data on new cancer diagnoses reported between 2015 and 2020, sourced from the North American Association of Central Cancer Registries. They also created models to project the expected number of cancer diagnoses for those years. The study revealed that 2020 saw fewer newly diagnosed cases than anticipated, with April of that year experiencing the most significant decline, primarily due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The data showed a decrease in the volume of pathology reports during early 2020. Pathology reports are crucial for medical providers to determine diagnoses and treatment plans for specific conditions like cancer. The delay in diagnosis is a cause for concern, as delayed diagnoses are often associated with more aggressive diseases and poorer outcomes.

Karen Knudsen, CEO of the American Cancer Society, stresses the urgency of making up for lost ground in early cancer detection to maximize opportunities for effective treatment and survival.

The data also revealed differences in newly diagnosed cancers by age. For colorectal, breast, and prostate cases, fewer diagnoses than expected were seen among people aged 40 and older, but not among those younger than 40.

Overall, the data showed a significant decline in reported cases starting in March 2020, peaking in April, and only slightly improving in May. The deficit began to decrease in June for most cancer types but did not completely offset the earlier declines.

These findings align with previous studies indicating a substantial reduction in cancer screenings during the pandemic. However, there is optimism as recent data suggests that people are gradually returning to routine screenings at pre-pandemic rates. Dr. Chris Alban, a clinical informaticist at Epic Research, notes that while there is no evidence yet that the missed screenings resulted in worse patient outcomes, monitoring this trend over time is essential. The extended intervals between screenings for certain cancers mean that evidence of advanced cases may take years to surface.