The Ripple Effects Of A Huge Drop In Cancer Screenings : Short Wave : NPR

A human “Pink Ribbon” chain is made to raise breast cancer screening awareness in New York City.

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Taylor Hill/Getty Images


A human “Pink Ribbon” chain is made to raise breast cancer screening awareness in New York City.

Taylor Hill/Getty Images

At the height of the pandemic, routine cancer screenings declined by 90 percent. Screenings are resuming and doctors are diagnosing later-stage cancers — cancers that might have been caught earlier. NPR science correspondent Yuki Noguchi talks about whom this affects most, and about the ripple effects that missing cancer screening may have for years to come.

This story was edited by Jane Greenhalgh, produced for Short Wave by Gisele Grayson, Indi Khera and Rebecca Ramirez.