at least 5,000,000 cancer diagnoses not made since March

The lack of a diagnosis does not mean that there are fewer cases of cancer, but that the diagnosis will be made later and that treatment will begin at a later stage of the disease. This results in a more aggressive treatment risk, not to mention the less favorable prognosis.

That is why the Cancer Foundation reminds us of the need to consult a doctor in case of persistent warning signs. “The fear of contracting the virus has led to the risk of not being screened and / or not receiving treatment, which, depending on the type of cancer, can lead to sometimes very serious consequences”, warns the organization.

The drop in diagnoses remains more significant (18%) for those over 80. It is around 12% for those between 65 and 79 and around 16% for those between 50 and 64.

The difference is smaller for the age groups under 50: for 35-49 years it is a decrease of 9% and for 20-34 years it is 5%.

The impact is greatest for skin cancers, with a more than 20% decrease in diagnoses, followed by bladder and kidney cancer, in similar proportions. For head and neck cancer, it is 19% and for prostate cancer, 15%.

The decrease is less pronounced for other more aggressive cancers, most notably lung cancer (10%), pancreatic cancer (9%), and esophageal cancer (9%).

Breast cancer shows a decrease of less than 14% for all ages and 20% for the target population for screening (50-69 years).