Introduction to Cancer Screening Delays

The COVID-19 pandemic had a significant impact on the healthcare system, leading to delays in various medical procedures, including cancer screenings. Many Americans were forced to postpone cancer screenings, such as colonoscopies, mammograms, and lung scans, for several months in 2020 as COVID-19 overwhelmed doctors and hospitals.

Impact on Cancer Statistics

But that delay in screening isn’t making a huge impact on cancer statistics, at least none that can be seen yet by experts who track the data. Cancer death rates continue to decline, and there weren’t huge shifts in late diagnoses, according to a new report published Monday in the journal Cancer. It’s the broadest-yet analysis of the pandemic’s effect on U.S. cancer data.

Cancer Diagnosis Trends

In 2020, as the pandemic began, a greater share of U.S. cancers were caught at later stages, when they’re harder to treat. But in 2021, these worrisome diagnoses returned to prepandemic levels for most types of cancer.
By CARLA K. JOHNSON
Many Americans were forced to postpone cancer screenings — colonoscopies, mammograms and lung scans — for several months in 2020 as COVID-19 overwhelmed doctors and hospitals.
But that delay in screening isn’t making a huge impact on cancer statistics, at least none that can be seen yet by experts who track the data.
Cancer death rates continue to decline, and there weren’t huge shifts in late diagnoses, according to a new report published Monday in the journal Cancer. It’s the broadest-yet analysis of the pandemic’s effect on U.S. cancer data.
In 2020, as the pandemic began, a greater share of U.S. cancers were caught at later stages, when they’re harder to treat. But in 2021, these worrisome diagnoses returned to prepandemic levels for most types of cancer.

Expert Insights

“It is very reassuring,” said lead author Recinda Sherman of the North American Association of Central Cancer Registries. “So far, we haven’t seen an excess of late-stage diagnoses,” which makes it unlikely that there will be higher cancer death rates tied to the pandemic.

New Cancer Cases

Similarly, the number of new cancer cases dropped in 2020, but then returned to prepandemic levels by 2021. The size of the 2020 decline in new cancers diagnosed was similar across states, despite variations in COVID-19 policy restrictions. The researchers note that human behavior and local hospital policies played more of a role than state policy restrictions.

Exceptions to the Trend

Late-stage diagnoses of cervical cancer and prostate cancer did increase in 2021, but the shifts weren’t large. The data analysis goes only through 2021, so it’s not the final word.
“We didn’t see any notable shifts,” Sherman said. “So it’s really unlikely that people with aggressive disease were not diagnosed during that time period.”

Report and Support

The report was produced by the North American Association of Central Cancer Registries, the National Cancer Institute, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American Cancer Society.
The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
Originally Published: April 21, 2025 at 7:13 PM EDT

Conclusion

In conclusion, the delay in cancer screenings due to the COVID-19 pandemic has not had a significant impact on cancer statistics, at least not yet. Cancer death rates continue to decline, and late-stage diagnoses have returned to prepandemic levels for most types of cancer. However, it is essential to continue monitoring cancer trends to ensure that the pandemic does not have a long-term impact on cancer outcomes.

FAQs

Q: Did the COVID-19 pandemic lead to an increase in late-stage cancer diagnoses?
A: No, according to the report, late-stage diagnoses returned to prepandemic levels for most types of cancer in 2021.
Q: Were there any exceptions to the trend?
A: Yes, late-stage diagnoses of cervical cancer and prostate cancer did increase in 2021, but the shifts weren’t large.
Q: What was the impact of the pandemic on new cancer cases?
A: The number of new cancer cases dropped in 2020 but returned to prepandemic levels by 2021.
Q: Who produced the report?
A: The report was produced by the North American Association of Central Cancer Registries, the National Cancer Institute, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the American Cancer Society.