New research shows the detection of some cancers plummeted and hundreds of diagnoses may have been missed during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic in Alberta.
A patient receives chemotherapy treatment in this file photo. University of Calgary research looked at 10 of the most common types of cancer and diagnosis trends between January 2018 and December 2020.
A total of 42,862 diagnoses were analyzed. Researchers found dramatic reductions in identification of four key cancers as the province began battling COVID-19.The study shows diagnoses for melanoma dropped 43 per cent during the three months after Alberta's public health emergency went into effect, in mid-March of 2020.
"Most of this likely relates to disruptions in organized screening programs, and the related diagnostic activities, potentially also difficulty accessing primary care services and fewer in-person appointments." That's likely because there are no asymptomatic screening programs for them and efforts were made to preserve care for later-stage cancers, he said.The team's modelling suggests 1,455 diagnoses of the four impacted cancers may have been missed, including 350 breast cancers, 398 colorectal cancers, 484 prostate cancers and 223 melanomas, between March and December 2020."These data show concretely that cancer screening works to catch early-stage cancers," said Brenner.
Angeline Webb with the Canadian Cancer Society says they heard from people across the country as cancer programs were paused early in the pandemic.Webb, who is based in Edmonton, worries about the long-term implications of delayed or missed diagnoses.
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