Cross‐sectional survey of the impact of the COVID‐19 pandemic on cancer screening programs in selected low‐ and middle‐income countries: Study from the IARC COVID‐19 impact study group

Abstract

We conducted a study to document the impact of COVID‐19 pandemic on cancer screening continuum in selected low‐ and middle‐income countries (LMICs). LMICs having an operational cancer control plan committed to screen eligible individuals were selected. Managers/supervisors of cancer screening programs were invited to participate in an online survey and subsequent in‐depth interview. Managers/supervisors from 18 programs in 17 countries participated. Lockdown was imposed in all countries except Brazil. Screening was suspended for at least 30 days in 13 countries, while diagnostic‐services for screen‐positives were suspended in 9 countries. All countries except Cameroon, Bangladesh, India, Honduras and China managed to continue with cancer treatment throughout the outbreak. The participants rated service availability compared to pre‐COVID days on a scale of 0 (no activities) to 100 (same as before). A rating of ≤50 was given for screening services by 61.1%, diagnostic services by 44.4% and treatment services by 22.2% participants. At least 70% participants strongly agreed that increased noncompliance of screen‐positive individuals and staff being overloaded or overwhelmed with backlogs would deeply impact screening programs in the next 6 months at least. Although many of the LMICs were deficient in following the “best practices” to minimize service disruptions, at least some of them made significant efforts to improve screening participation, treatment compliance and program organization. A well‐coordinated effort is needed to reinitiate screening services in the LMICs, starting with a situational analysis. Innovative strategies adopted by the programs to keep services on‐track should be mutually shared.

Early assessment of the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic on cancer screening services: The International Cancer Screening Network COVID-19 survey

“…In addition, our results were complementary to the findings from a survey carried out by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) between August and September 2020. Most of the 18 settings targeted by the IARC survey were not captured by ours, and similarly 14 of the 18 IARC settings (77.8%) reported that cancer screening had been suspended ( Villain et al, 2021 ).…”

The Era of Covid-19; Its’ Impact on Cancer Patient Experience in Southwest Nigeria

“…Almost all African countries experienced suspensions in cancer screening which lasted at least one month owing to the lockdown restrictions, changing in health priorities, and reduced patient visits. This will no doubt widen the existing disparities in oncology care [10].…”

“…Since the re-opening of most cancer services in 2021, most of them generally operated at significantly reduced capacities [10]. There is an urgent need for high-level coordination efforts to ensure adequate continuity of cancer care following lockdown.…”

Telemedicine and Cancer Care in Low- and Middle-Income Countries During the SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic

“…A recent cross-sectional study among 17 LMICs showed that cancer diagnostic services were completely withheld for 30 days or longer in eight (47%) of them, whereas six (35%) countries reported complete suspension of cancer treatment for longer than a month. 4 Vaccination against human papillomavirus has been badly hit because of temporary stoppage or deprioritization of existing programs and delayed introduction of new programs. 5 …”