A comprehensive analysis of cancer incidence rates across the United States from January 2018 through December 2020 revealed significant disruptions in cancer diagnoses due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This population-based cross-sectional study utilized data from the US Cancer Statistics, assessing trends in invasive cancer diagnoses and applying time-series forecasting methods to estimate expected cancer incidence rates for March through December 2020, based on pre-pandemic trends. The results indicated a substantial decrease in observed cancer rates compared with expected rates, with an overall 28.6% reduction during the peak pandemic months of March to May 2020 and a 13.0% reduction throughout the first 10 months of the pandemic. This discrepancy suggests that approximately 134,395 cancer cases may have gone undiagnosed during this period, particularly impacting prostate, breast, and lung cancers.

The study further highlighted that states with more stringent COVID-19 response measures experienced greater disruptions in cancer diagnoses, particularly for lung, kidney, and pancreatic cancers. These findings underscore the need for targeted efforts to enhance cancer screening and detection in the aftermath of the pandemic to address the backlog of undiagnosed cases.

Reference: Burus T, Lei F, Huang B, et al. Undiagnosed Cancer Cases in the US During the First 10 Months of the COVID-19 Pandemic. JAMA Oncol. 2024;10(4):500-507. doi: 10.1001/jamaoncol.2023.6969.