Finland's Cancer register has seen some 1,200 fewer cases reported for 2020 than during 2019, according to initial figures.
The register's director of statistics Janne Pitkäniemi says the numbers are a concern.
"It is concerning when you think that we expect a 1-2 percent rise in cancer cases each year as a result of ageing in the population," said Pitkäniemi. "We have to remember that these numbers are preliminary and the figure will become more accurate."
Several hospital districts have recorded more cancer cases than normal. In the Helsinki and Uusimaa hospital district (HUS), referrals after a first appointment have risen 19 percent from the exceptionally low number recorded in 2020.
The figures are up 10 percent on the last 'normal' year, in 2019.
"Spring 2020 saw clearly fewer referrals and there was also a clear decline in cancer samples being tested," said Johanna Mattson of HUS. "There was a correction beginning in autumn 2020, but now the patient numbers have clearly increased in 2021 and it looks like any possible care backlog has been reduced."
The number of new patients has grown this autumn compared to the same period in 2019, and the growth is expected to continue for the rest of the year.
At the end of August patient numbers were up three percent in HUS cancer centres compared to 2019, for example.
Similar upticks in referral numbers have been seen in Oulu and Tampere as well. Doctors told Yle that their impression was that they're seeing more cases where cancer has spread further, but that data is not yet available.
The true impact of Covid on cancer treatment and fatality might not be clear for years, according to Pitkäniemi.