Trends of Cancer Screenings, Diagnoses, and Mortalities During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Implications and Future Recommendations

Abstract

Introduction The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on cancer screenings and care has yet to be determined. This study aims to investigate the screening, diagnosis, and mortality rates of the top five leading causes of cancer mortality in the United States from 2019 to 2021 to determine the potential impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on cancer care. Methods A retrospective cohort study investigating the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on screening, diagnoses, and mortality rates of the top five leading causes of cancer death (lung/bronchus, colon/rectum, pancreas, breast, and prostate), as determined by the National Institute of Health (NIH) utilizing The United States Healthcare Cost Institute and American Cancer Society databases from 2019 to 2021. Results Screenings decreased by 24.98% for colorectal cancer and 16.01% for breast cancer from 2019 to 2020. Compared to 2019, there was a .29% increase in lung/bronchus, 19.72% increase in colorectal, 1.46% increase in pancreatic, 2.89% increase in breast, and 144.50% increase in prostate cancer diagnoses in 2020 (all P < .01). There was an increase in the total number of deaths from colorectal, pancreatic, breast, and prostate cancers from 2019 to 2021. Conclusion There was a decrease in the screening rates for breast and colorectal cancer, along with an increase in the estimated incidence and mortality rate among the five leading causes of cancer deaths from 2019 to 2021. The findings suggest that the COVID-19 pandemic is associated with impaired cancer screening, diagnosis, and care, and further emphasizes the need for proactive screening and follow-up to prevent subsequent cancer morbidity and mortality.

The impact of Omicron pandemic and COVID‐19 vaccination on the pancreatic adenocarcinoma patients

“…Some studies proposed that the COVID-19 could impair the prognoses of pancreatic cancer patients, 21,22 which probably resulted from the impaired cancer screening, diagnosis, and care. 23 The vaccination was not discovered associated with the OS of PAC patients. However, with further interaction analyses, vaccination was observed to have interacted with the adjuvant chemotherapy administration.…”

“…24 Third, the unvaccinated patients worried about the infection of COVID-19 and were thereby less likely to visit the hospital and receive the medical treatments. 23 Some limitations of the study should be emphasized. First, it is a retrospective study with a certain uncorrected bias.…”

“…However, continuous follow‐ups should be processed to further observe in a long term. Some studies proposed that the COVID‐19 could impair the prognoses of pancreatic cancer patients, 21,22 which probably resulted from the impaired cancer screening, diagnosis, and care 23 …”

Reduced Cancer Screening Due to Lockdowns of the COVID-19 Pandemic: Reviewing Impacts and Ways to Counteract the Impacts

“…Another inquiry in the UK conducted by Maringe and colleagues (24) indicated that the COVID-19 pandemic leveraged the number of deaths within five years after diagnosis by 4.8-16.6% for esophageal, lung, colorectal, and breast cancer. According to Concepcion et al's (25) study, between 2019 and 2020 in the U.S., cancer screening for breast cancer diminished by 16.01% and for colorectal cancer by 24.98%. These reduced cancer screenings might contribute to a rise by 2.89% for breast cancer and a rise by 19.72% for colorectal cancer as well as a rise in the number of breast and colorectal cancer deaths between 2019 to 2021 in the U.S (25).…”

“…According to Concepcion et al's (25) study, between 2019 and 2020 in the U.S., cancer screening for breast cancer diminished by 16.01% and for colorectal cancer by 24.98%. These reduced cancer screenings might contribute to a rise by 2.89% for breast cancer and a rise by 19.72% for colorectal cancer as well as a rise in the number of breast and colorectal cancer deaths between 2019 to 2021 in the U.S (25).…”