English
Arabic
Chinese (Simplified)
Dutch
Esperanto
French
German
Greek
Italian
Japanese
Korean
Portuguese
Russian
Spanish
UrduThe research, published in JAMA Network Open, found that observed cancer incidence rates were 2.7% lower than expected in 2021, following a 9.4% reduction in 2020. This translates to nearly 150,000 potentially undiagnosed cancer cases over the two-year period.
While there was some recovery in 2021, cancer diagnoses were still not back to where they should be, says Todd Burus, senior author of the study and member of the UK Markey Cancer Center’s Community Impact Office.
“Unfortunately, this research shows that rates of cancer incidence in the U.S. have not rebounded as well as we would have hoped after the second year of the pandemic, Burus said. “While we still don’t know what impact this will have on long-term outcomes, prolonged disruptions in diagnoses of certain cancers are certainly concerning and something that needs to be addressed.”
The study, led by Burus and Krystle Lang Kuhs, Ph.D., co-leader of Markey’s Cancer Prevention and Control Research Program, follows the team’s research published earlier this year, which estimate over 134,000 missed cancer diagnoses in the first 10 months of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.
Key findings of the latest study, which analyzed data from the National Cancer Institute’s Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database, include:
The research team expressed concern over the continued disruption in cancer diagnoses, especially for early-stage lung and cervical cancers, which are screenable cancers that respond well to treatment when caught early.
“These findings underscore the critical need for targeted public health initiatives to boost screening rates,” said Kuhs. “Early detection remains our best tool in improving cancer outcomes.”
The research team also emphasized the importance of improving national cancer surveillance systems to enable quicker identification of and response to concerning trends in cancer diagnoses, potentially saving lives through earlier detection and treatment.
UK HealthCare is the hospitals and clinics of the University of Kentucky. But it is so much more. It is more than 10,000 dedicated health care professionals committed to providing advanced subspecialty care for the most critically injured and ill patients from the Commonwealth and beyond. It also is the home of the state’s only National Cancer Institute (NCI)-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center, a Level IV Neonatal Intensive Care Unit that cares for the tiniest and sickest newborns, the region’s only Level 1 trauma center and Kentucky’s top hospital ranked by U.S. News & World Report.
As an academic research institution, we are continuously pursuing the next generation of cures, treatments, protocols and policies. Our discoveries have the potential to change what’s medically possible within our lifetimes. Our educators and thought leaders are transforming the health care landscape as our six health professions colleges teach the next generation of doctors, nurses, pharmacists and other health care professionals, spreading the highest standards of care. UK HealthCare is the power of advanced medicine committed to creating a healthier Kentucky, now and for generations to come.
