February 6 (Reuters) - Researchers in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) Oncology reported the worst first-year survival rates among U.S. patients diagnosed with cancer during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, compared to patients diagnosed in earlier years.

The study, which included more than one million patients diagnosed with early or late-stage cancer in 2020 and 2021, concluded that approximately 17,390 more deaths than expected were recorded within the first year of diagnosis, compared to those diagnosed between 2015 and 2019.

Compared to pre-pandemic trends, the one-year survival rate for those diagnosed at early stages declined by 0.44 percent in 2020 and 0.37 percent in 2021. For patients diagnosed at later stages in those years, the rate decreased by 0.34 percent and 0.20 percent, respectively.

The study authors said the findings point to "serious harm associated with disruptions to cancer patient care during the first two years of the COVID-19 pandemic."

They added that "continuous monitoring is needed to assess whether changes in survival rates have persisted beyond the pandemic."