Doctors see increase in pandemic's effect on delayed healthcare In January, cancer treatment centers across the country began urging patients to begin seeking regular checkup after noticing a decrease in newly diagnosed patients. Author: Gabrielle Harmon Updated: 8:21 PM EDT June 28, 2021 LOUISVILLE, Ky. — When Pattie Koth was diagnosed with stage three breast cancer after receiving her COVID-19 vaccine, she said she said she wasn't thinking she had cancer. "Probably three weeks later we had the conversation about anybody feeling any swelling. I got into my general practitioner fairly quickly. But there was that short delay of having my mammogram scheduled," Koth said.