• Pandemic upends breast cancer diagnoses

    From ScienceDaily@1:317/3 to All on Tue Feb 15 21:30:42 2022
    Pandemic upends breast cancer diagnoses
    Study documents fewer early-stage and more late-stage breast cancer
    diagnoses as patients delay care

    Date:
    February 15, 2022
    Source:
    University of California - San Diego
    Summary:
    Researchers surveyed and compared early- and late-stage breast and
    colorectal cancer diagnoses in patients in pre-pandemic 2019 and
    in 2020, the first full year of the COVID-19 pandemic, discovering
    fewer of the former and more of the latter as patients delayed care.



    FULL STORY ==========================================================================
    The COVID-19 pandemic upended many aspects of daily life, particularly
    in the first months and year. Not least among the changes: decreased
    use of ordinary health care, such as routine medical exams and screenings.


    ==========================================================================
    New findings, published in JAMA Network Open on February 15, 2022, bear
    that out. Researchers at Moores Cancer Center at UC San Diego Health
    surveyed and compared early- and late-stage breast and colorectal cancer diagnoses in patients in pre-pandemic 2019 and 2020, the first full year
    of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

    While total numbers of diagnoses were roughly similar in 2019 and 2020,
    there were significant differences in the percentages of stage I diagnoses
    for breast cancer compared to stage IV diagnoses.

    In 2019, for example, 63.9 percent of diagnosed patients presented with
    stage I disease compared to 51.3 percent in 2020. Conversely, 1.9 percent
    of patients were diagnosed with stage IV breast cancer in 2019 compared
    to 6.2 percent in 2020.

    (Most cancers are given a stage designation at time of diagnosis, from
    stage I when the malignancy is limited to its originating location to
    stage IV, when the cancer has spread to other organs or parts of the
    body. Each stage indicates progressive difficulty of treatment and
    cure, from good to worse.) Among colorectal cancer patients studied,
    similar trends were seen, though the magnitude was somewhat less than
    with patients with breast cancer.

    "For breast cancer, at least, these data demonstrate a continuing
    trend," said first author Jade Zifei Zhou, MD, PhD, a clinical fellow in hematology and oncology at UC San Diego School of Medicine. "They suggest
    that concerns and consequences caused by the pandemic have prompted at
    least some patients to delay routine health care, such as screenings
    or doctor visits, that might have revealed early stage diagnoses."
    The researchers noted several limitations of the study. First,
    it reflects data from a single center, and does not assess disease
    causality. Second, the number of patients with colorectal cancer were relatively small. Third, the study included individuals seeking second opinions, who may or may not have undergone any previous treatment.

    "Cancer screening is crucial to the early detection of cancer,
    particularly in colorectal and breast cancers where many early stage
    cancers can be treated and cured," said senior author Kathryn Ann Gold,
    MD, a medical oncologist at Moores Cancer Center and professor of medicine
    at UC San Diego School of Medicine.

    "There is increasing concern that one effect of the pandemic is the
    growing number of patients who are being diagnosed for the first time
    with late, incurable stages. Patients who have delayed preventative
    care during the pandemic should be encouraged to discuss age appropriate
    cancer screening with their primary care providers as soon as possible." Co-authors include: Shelly Kane, Celia Ramsey, Melody Akhondzadeh,
    Ananya Banerjee and Rebecca Shatsky, all at UC San Diego.

    special promotion Explore the latest scientific research on sleep and
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    University_of_California_-_San_Diego. Original written by Scott
    LaFee. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.


    ========================================================================== Journal Reference:
    1. Jade Zifei Zhou, Shelly Kane, Celia Ramsey, Melody Akhondzadeh,
    Ananya
    Banerjee, Rebecca Shatsky, Kathryn Ann Gold. Comparison of Early-
    and Late-Stage Breast and Colorectal Cancer Diagnoses During vs
    Before the COVID-19 Pandemic. JAMA Network Open, 2022; 5 (2):
    e2148581 DOI: 10.1001/ jamanetworkopen.2021.48581 ==========================================================================

    Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/02/220215125457.htm

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