In response to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, the American Society of Clinical Oncology recommends, to conserve health system resources and reduce patient contact with health care facilities, that cancer screening procedures that require clinic/center visits, such as screening mammograms and colonoscopy, be postponed for the time being. A Washington Post headline reported, Patients with heart attacks, strokes, and even appendicitis vanish from hospitals. A study from 9 high-volume US cardiac catheterization laboratories found a 38% decrease in patients treated for ST-elevation myocardial infarction, considered a life-threatening condition. In this study, we analyzed weekly changes in the number of patients with newly identified cancer before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.
