Cancer-related monthly mortality rate higher in April 2020 when health care capacity was most challenged<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n
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MONDAY, June 6, 2022 (HealthDay News) — From 2019 to 2020, there was an increase of 3.2 percent in cancer-related deaths, which was higher than the number of projected deaths, according to a study presented at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, held from June 3 to 7 in Chicago.<\/p>\n
Jingxuan Zhao, M.P.H., from the American Cancer Society in Atlanta, and colleagues used the U.S. 2019 to 2020 Multiple Cause of Death database to identify cancer-related deaths. Age-standardized cancer-related annual and monthly mortality rates were compared for January to December 2020 (pandemic) versus January to December 2019 (prepandemic), and the 2020 excess death rate was calculated.<\/p>\n
The researchers found that in 2020, there were 686,054 cancer-related deaths, which was an annual increase of 3.2 percent compared with 2019 (664,888 deaths). Compared with the number of projected deaths for 2020 (666,286 deaths), there were 19,768 cancer-related excess deaths in 2020. There was a continuous decrease seen in the annual age-standardized cancer-related mortality rate per 100,000 person-years, from 173.7 in 2015 to 162.1 in 2019, followed by an increase to 164.1 in 2020. In April 2020, when health care capacity was most challenged, the cancer-related monthly mortality rate was higher, with subsequent declines in May and June 2020; higher mortality rates were seen each month from July to December 2020 compared with 2019.<\/p>\n
“Ongoing evaluation of the spatial-temporal effects of the pandemic on cancer care and outcomes is warranted, especially in relation to patterns in vaccine uptake and COVID-19 hospitalization rates,” the authors write.<\/p>\n
Several authors disclosed financial ties to the pharmaceutical industry.<\/p>\n
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