The study, an analysis of Quest Diagnostics data published online in the Journal of the American Medical Association Network Open, found that new diagnoses of breast, colorectal, lung, pancreatic, gastric and esophageal cancers were down 46% between March 1 and April 18 of this year compared with the average diagnosis rates from previous years.
New findings offer grim evidence of the consequences of delayed care: A rise in undetected cancers that, when eventually diagnosed, may be more advanced and difficult to treat.
"No one is saying coronavirus prevents cancer. It just prevents getting care in a timely fashion," said David S. Weinberg, a gastroenterologist and chair of Fox Chase Cancer Center's department of medicine, who was not involved in the study.
