New cancer cases declined by nearly half as pandemic first hit

There's been a dramatic dip in the number of new cancer diagnoses in the wake of the pandemic, according to new research. Looking at data from nearly 280,000 patients between January 2019 through mid-April 2020, researchers found that the average weekly number of newly identified cases dropped by 46% from mid-February through mid-April for six common cancer types: breast, colorectal, lung, gastric, pancreatic, and esophageal. Weekly new cases of breast cancer declined by more than half, while there's been 25% fewer new cases of pancreatic cancer. The decline is likely due to patients delaying seeking treatment due to distancing recommendations from health officials, but the authors of the study caution that "cancer does not pause," and that delays could lead to diagnosis at advanced stages of disease and poorer outcomes from treatment.