Statistics Canada has reported a significant decrease in new cancer diagnoses in 2020, potentially due to disruptions in screening services caused by the pandemic. The incidence rate of new cancer cases dropped by 12.3% in 2020 compared to the average annual rate over the previous five years. The data shows that there were 450 new cases per 100,000 people, and overall, cancer diagnoses among males fell by 13.2%, which was more of a decrease than for females, who saw an 11.4% drop in new cases during the first year of the pandemic. Difficulties accessing primary care and fewer in-person appointments due to COVID-19 lockdowns, as well as travel restrictions, may have impacted the registration of new cancer cases, according to StatCan. The incidence rates of the four most commonly diagnosed cancer types, including breast, lung and bronchus, prostate, and colorectal cancers, all appear significantly lower in 2020 than the 2015 to 2019 average rate, but the incidence rates for both throat and anal cancers increased. Dr. Sheila Singh, a pediatric neurosurgeon at McMaster Children’s Hospital in Hamilton, Ont., said the lack of timely care came at a high cost for many patients whose cancer progressed as they waited for treatment in a health-care system that became “too cautious and timid” as diseases other than COVID-19 were sidelined.
