As the COVID-19 pandemic unfolded in 2020, many people skipped their routine health screenings, resulting in a predictable drop in new cancer cases. Health experts assumed these missed diagnoses would show up once life returned to normal the next year. An analysis published in JAMA found that as of December 31, 2021, cancer rates did recover “meaningfully” but that a number of patients expected to be diagnosed remain unaccounted for. In fact, about 130,000 diagnoses were still missing. Future data may help solve the mystery.