Cancer screening rates rebound after COVID-19 pandemic
But breast and colon cancer screening numbers have since rebounded and have even surpassed pre-pandemic screening estimates, a new American Cancer Society study has found.
"These findings are mostly encouraging, as the pandemic resulted in widespread disruptions in cancer screening in the U.S.," lead researcher Jessica Star, an associate scientist of cancer risk factors and screening surveillance research at the American Cancer Society, said in a news release.
Unfortunately, the good news doesn't extend to cervical cancer screenings, which remain below pre-pandemic levels, researchers reported Wednesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
"The continued decline in cervical cancer screening is troubling as diagnoses of cervical cancers at an early stage, when they are more treatable, also decreased during the pandemic," Star said. "Without returns to cervical cancer screening, prevention and early-stage diagnoses may continue to drop and put more lives at risk."
For the study, researchers analyzed responses to the National Health Interview Survey, an annual poll conducted by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The team compared cancer screening rates in 2019, before the pandemic, to those in 2021 during the pandemic and in 2023 after the end of the global health crisis.
Results show that breast and colon cancer screenings in 2023 exceeded 2019 levels by 7% and 12% respectively, due to sharp increases toward the end of the pandemic.
Meanwhile, cervical cancer screening in 2023 remained 14% below 2019 levels, with no change between 2021 and 2023, researchers found.
"The persistent decline in cervical cancer screening may in part reflect longer-term declines in patient knowledge and clinicians recommending the test," Star said. "It's imperative that we continue to advocate for returns to cervical cancer screening and efforts must also address the widening disparities in all cancer screenings by socioeconomic status."
In addition, the rebound in screening for breast and colon cancers occurred mainly among people who make more money, have higher education and are either privately insured or Medicare recipients, researchers found.
"Health systems and health care professionals could play a major role by improving screening communications and providing patient navigators to help address structural and cost barriers," researchers concluded in the study.
More information
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more on cancer screening tests.
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