New international study on impact of COVID-19 pandemic on cancer diagnoses across seven countries

A new study from the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) and the International Cancer Benchmarking Partnership examines for the first time the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on population-wide cancer diagnoses in 18 jurisdictions across seven countries, providing key insights into how health systems responded during an unprecedented period of disruption.

The study, published today in The Lancet Oncology, found that more than 55 000 expected cancer cases were not diagnosed across seven high-income countries during the first 9 months of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, as a result of the widespread disruption to cancer diagnostic services caused by reluctance to seek care, lockdowns, or pressure on health systems.

Morgan E, Bardot A, Langselius O, Rutherford MJ, Abd Elkader H, Bennett D, et al.
International disruptions to cancer diagnosis and stage at presentation during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020: an International Cancer Benchmarking Partnership (ICBP) population-based study
Lancer Oncol. Published online 1 June 2026;
https://doi.org/10.1016/S1470-2045(26)00089-6

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