ArticleJCO clinical cancer informatics2020
Impact of COVID-19 on Cancer Care: How the Pandemic Is Delaying Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment for American Seniors.
Article in JCO clinical cancer informatics, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 381 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
381 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 644 citations in OpenAlex.
- Association of the COVID-19 pandemic on stroke admissions and treatment globally: a systematic review.BMJ open · 2023Pooled it
- A systematic review of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on breast cancer screening and diagnosis.Breast (Edinburgh, Scotland) · 2023Pooled it
- Decrease of cancer diagnosis during COVID-19 pandemic: a systematic review and meta-analysis.European journal of epidemiology · 2023Pooled it
- Recruitment strategies for a multisite telehealth trial for rural cancer survivors with ostomies.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2026Trial
- Review
- Impacts of a Public Health Emergency on Cancer Testing Rates, Follow-up, and Cancer Diagnosis: An Evaluation of the COVID-19 Pandemic.Cancer epidemiology, biomarkers & prevention : a publication of the American Association for Cancer Research, cosponsored by the American Society of Preventive Oncology · 2026Article
- Cutaneous Adnexal Tumours in an Eastern European Cohort: Clinicopathological Spectrum and Rare Malignant Lesions.Cancers · 2026Article
- Article
- Trends and Disparities in Mortality Involving Pancreatic Cancer and Pulmonary Embolism in the United States, 1999-2024: A CDC WONDER Analysis.Diseases (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Article
- Impact of COVID-19 pandemic on African American and Latina breast cancer survivors in the DC metro area: A qualitative study.Journal of health psychology · 2026Article
- Cancer Diagnoses and Deaths in Hungary, 2011-2023: Nationwide Trends Before, During, and After the COVID-19 Pandemic.Cancers · 2026Article
- Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Inpatient Cancer Treatment and Outcomes in the United States.Mayo Clinic proceedings. Innovations, quality & outcomes · 2026Article
- Unveiling temporal trends and disparities in mortality with co-listed coronary artery disease and cancer, 1999-2024: insights from the CDC WONDER multiple cause of death database.Cardio-oncology (London, England) · 2026Article
- The Factors Associated with Access to Healthcare Services for Cancer Patients in Saudi Arabia.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Fifteen-year trends in cancer incidence and mortality among older adults aged 65 years and older in Martinique, a Caribbean population-based registry study, 2008-2022.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Anxiety in breast cancer research (1982-2024): a bibliometric analysis.Clinical & translational oncology : official publication of the Federation of Spanish Oncology Societies and of the National Cancer Institute of Mexico · 2026Article
- Characteristics of Patients Accessing Outpatient Oncology Services Virtually and Predictors of Subsequent Unplanned Emergency Department Presentations in 78,323 Adults in Australia: Retrospective Cohort Study.Journal of medical Internet research · 2026Article
- Article
- Health care cost trajectories among patients with cancer and cardiometabolic comorbidities over a decade including the pandemic period.Journal of managed care & specialty pharmacy · 2026Article
321 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
10 authors at 4 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
purposeWhile the immediate care and access disruptions associated with the COVID-19 pandemic have received growing attention in certain areas, the full range of gaps in cancer screenings and treatment is not yet well understood or well documented throughout the country comprehensively.
methodsThis study used a large medical claims clearinghouse database representing 5%-7% of the Medicare fee-for-service population to characterize changes in the utilization of cancer care services and gain insight into the impact of COVID-19 on the US cancer population, including identification of new patients, gaps in access to care, and disruption of treatment journeys.
resultsIn March-July 2020, in comparison with the baseline period of March-July 2019, there is a substantial decrease in cancer screenings, visits, therapy, and surgeries, with variation by cancer type and site of service. At the peak of the pandemic in April, screenings for breast, colon, prostate, and lung cancers were lower by 85%, 75%, 74%, and 56%, respectively. Significant utilization reductions were observed in April for hospital outpatient evaluation and management (E&M) visits (-74%), new patient E&M visits (-70%), and established patient E&M visits (-60%). A decrease in billing frequency was observed for the top physician-administered oncology products, dropping in both April (-26%) and July (-31%). Mastectomies were reduced consistently in April through July, with colectomies similarly reduced in April and May and prostatectomies dipping in April and July.
conclusionThe current impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on cancer care in the United States has resulted in decreases and delays in identifying new cancers and delivery of treatment. These problems, if unmitigated, will increase cancer morbidity and mortality for years to come.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.