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. 2021 Oct:151:106642.
doi: 10.1016/j.ypmed.2021.106642. Epub 2021 Jun 30.

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

Douglas M Puricelli Perin  1 , K Miriam Elfström  2 , Jean-Luc Bulliard  3 , Andrea Burón  4 , Christine Campbell  5 , Anath A Flugelman  6 , Livia Giordano  7 , Aruna Kamineni  8 , Antonio Ponti  7 , Linda Rabeneck  9 , Mona Saraiya  10 , Robert A Smith  11 , Mireille J M Broeders  12 ; International Cancer Screening Network
Affiliations

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

Douglas M Puricelli Perin et al. Prev Med. 2021 Oct.

Abstract

Screening can decrease the burden of breast, cervical, and colorectal cancers. The COVID-19 pandemic led many countries to suspend cancer screening services as part of their response to the pandemic. The International Cancer Screening Network (ICSN) carried out an online survey to assess the effects of the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic on cancer screening. A 33-item survey was distributed to 834 email addresses to gather information about settings and assess decision-making processes that led to cancer screening suspension. Information about communication, impact on resources, and patient follow-up was collected. Quantitative data was analyzed as frequencies overall and by setting, while a comment section under each survey item captured nuanced details. Responses were recategorized into 66 settings, representing 35 countries. Most settings suspended cancer screening services (n = 60, 90.9%) in March 2020 (n = 45, 68.2%), guided by a government decision (n = 51, 77.3%). Few settings made the decision whether to suspend services based on a preparedness plan (n = 17, 25.8%). In most settings, professionals were reassigned (n = 41, 62.1%) and infrastructure repurposed (n = 35, 53.0%). The first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic has had profound effects on cancer screening worldwide, including the suspension of services in almost all settings. Most settings were unprepared to deal with the scale of the pandemic but demonstrated flexibility in the response. These results contribute to inform, through experiences and lessons learned, the next steps for the global cancer screening community to further evaluate the impact of COVID-19 and prepare for future disruptions.

Keywords: COVID-19; Cancer screening; Disruption; Health care services.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Countries reached in the ICSN COVID-19 survey.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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