Francisco J. Esteva: How COVID-19 pandemic disrupted cancer diagnoses in the US

Francisco J. Esteva, Chief, Division of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Lenox Hill Hospital, shared a post on LinkedIn:

“The COVID-19 pandemic significantly disrupted cancer diagnoses in the US. There was a big drop in the number of cancer cases identified during 2020-2021 compared to before the pandemic. Younger adults and those from lower-income backgrounds were hit the hardest. Even though diagnosis rates started to bounce back as restrictions lifted, they still weren’t back to normal by the end of 2022.

This shows how crucial it is for healthcare systems to be flexible and ensure that people can always get the diagnostic services they need, particularly those who are most vulnerable. Keeping an eye on this issue and coming up with strategies to handle such disruptions in cancer care is super important. You can read more details in the study .”

COVID-19 and Rates of Cancer Diagnosis in the US

Authors: Todd Burus, Feitong Lei, Bin Huang, DrPH, W. Jay Christian, Pamela C. Hull, Amanda R. Ellis,  Svetla Slavova,  Thomas C. Tucker and Krystle A. Lang Kuhs.