A population-based survey of self-reported delays in breast, cervical, colorectal and lung cancer screening

Gunn, Christine M.; Berrian, Kedryn; Weiss, Julie E.; Tosteson, Anna A.N.; Hasson, Rian M.; Di Florio-Alexander, Roberta; Peacock, Janet L.; Rees, Judy R.

doi:10.1016/j.ypmed.2023.107649

Cited by 1 publication

(1 citation statement)

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“…However, these mobility restrictions did not prohibit attendance to cancer screening visits. Therefore, this lower participation might be related to changes in women’s attitude towards self-care behavior, such as the self-reported lower willingness to attend cervical cancer screening and the perception that screening tests were not urgent in the United Kingdom ( 30 , 31 ) or the observed longer time to help-seeking for cancer symptoms in Spain ( 32 ) after the first COVID-19 pandemic wave. Except for January, observed participation in 2021 was not different than expected, as opposed to the lower estimates observed in Germany and the United States ( 19 , 20 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on cervical cancer screening participation, abnormal cytology prevalence and screening interval in Catalonia

Robles,

Monfil,

Ibáñez

et al. 2024

Front. Oncol.

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BackgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic led to a national lockdown and the interruption of all cancer preventive services, including cervical cancer screening. We aimed to assess the COVID-19 pandemic impact on opportunistic screening participation, abnormal cytology (ASCUS+) prevalence and screening interval in 2020 and 2021 within the Public Health System of Catalonia, Spain.MethodsIndividual data on cytology and HPV testing of women aged 25–65 from 2014 to 2021 were retrieved from the Information System for Primary Care Services (SISAP). Time-series regression models were used to estimate expected screening participation and abnormal cytology prevalence in 2020 and 2021. The impact was determined by comparing observed and expected values (ratios). Additionally, changes in screening interval trends between 2014 and 2021 were assessed by fitting a Piecewise linear regression model.ResultsCervical cancer screening participation decreased by 38.8% and 2.2% in 2020 and 2021, respectively, with the most significant impact on participation (-96.1%) occurring in April 2020. Among older women, participation was lower, and it took longer to recover. Abnormal cytology prevalence was 1.4 times higher than expected in 2020 and 2021, with variations by age (range=1.1–1.5). From June 2020 onwards, the screening interval trend significantly changed from an increase of 0.59 to 3.57 months per year, resulting in a median time of 48 months by December 2021.ConclusionsDuring the pandemic, fewer women have participated in cervical cancer screening, abnormal cytology prevalence has increased, and the screening interval is more prolonged than before. The potential cervical cancer lifetime risk implications highlight the need for organized HPV-based screening.

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