Khaberni - An American study showed a decrease in the survival rate during the first year after cancer diagnosis for patients diagnosed at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic compared to previous years.
Researchers in the Journal of the American Medical Association for Oncology reported that in a study that included more than a million patients diagnosed with cancer at early or late stages in 2020 and 2021, approximately 17,390 more deaths were recorded than expected within the first year of diagnosis, compared with those diagnosed from 2015 to 2019.
In comparison to trends before the pandemic, the survival rate one year after diagnosis decreased by 0.44 percent in 2020 and 0.37 percent in 2021 for people diagnosed in early stages. This rate decreased by 0.34 and 0.20 percent respectively in 2020 and 2021 for patients diagnosed with cancer in advanced stages during these two years.
The authors of the study stated that the findings indicate "severe harm associated with disruptions in cancer care during the first two years of the COVID-19 pandemic."
They added that "ongoing monitoring is needed to assess whether the changes in survival rates have continued beyond the pandemic."
