Hundreds of thousands of Americans deferred routine cancer screenings at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic over fear of contracting the virus, leading to an uptick in advanced cancer diagnoses, The Wall Street Journal reports. Without early detection, patients are left with fewer treatment options and a higher likelihood of dying. Earlier this year, the National Cancer Institute projected that missed cancer screenings and other behavioral fallout from the pandemic would result in at least 10,000 additional cancer-related deaths over the next decade. “There’s really almost no way that doesn’t turn into increased mortality,” its director said. National cancer-care provider 21st Century Oncology said it has recorded 18 percent of its breast-cancer patients as having an advanced stage of the disease, compared to 12 percent in 2019. Similarly, the medical testing company Quest Diagnostics showed its weekly number of newly diagnosed breast cancer patients decreased by nearly 52 percent in March and early April compared to pre-pandemic. “Cancer doesn’t take a pause,” said Harvey Kaufman, a company senior medical director.