The "Cancer Medicine" journal published a comprehensive study led by Yasmine Khan and colleagues. The study aimed to investigate changes in cancer mortality from March to December 2020, compared to the same period in 2019, and to explore shifts in social disparities during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The researchers utilized nationwide cancer mortality data linked to socioeconomic and demographic information, analyzing disparities by age, sex, and cancer type, including breast, colorectal, lung, pancreatic, and prostate cancers. The findings suggested that while overall cancer mortality decreased during the early stages of the pandemic, particularly among older adults, these changes did not significantly alter the established patterns of socioeconomic disparities in cancer mortality.

The study concluded that the observed reductions in reported cancer deaths might reflect a prioritization of COVID-19 in death certifications, serving as a competing risk rather than actual declines in cancer fatalities. The persistence of education-related disparities underscores the ongoing need for targeted healthcare policies.

The full article is available via https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/cam4.70487