Post-2020, Cancer screenings are still lower than prepandemic levels | Advancing mission

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The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the delivery and receipt of routine preventive services, including cancer screenings.1 A systematic review and meta-analysis found an overall decrease of 46.7% for breast, 51.8% for cervical, and 44.9% for colorectal cancer screening tests performed from January to October of 2020.2 More recent studies reported a potential rebound in screening for colorectal, breast, cervical, and prostate cancer in the summer of 2020.3-9 However, these findings are not generalizable to the overall US population because they are based on claims databases, electronic medical records, or non-nationwide data. On the basis of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, a state-specific population-based database, we reported 6%-11% declines in past-year breast and cervical cancer screening prevalence in 2020, the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic.10,11 The CDC also conducts the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS), which is a true, national survey of the US population.12 Herein, we examine changes in the receipt of screening for breast, cervical, prostate, and colon and rectum cancer during the second year of the COVID-19 pandemic overall and by sociodemographic characteristics using the 2019 and 2021 NHIS.12

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