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Review
. 2023 Jun 11;15(6):e40268.
doi: 10.7759/cureus.40268. eCollection 2023 Jun.

A Review of the Effect of COVID-19-Related Lockdowns on Global Cancer Screening

Annika Bharwani  1 , Dan Li  1 , Sten H Vermund  1
Affiliations
Review

A Review of the Effect of COVID-19-Related Lockdowns on Global Cancer Screening

Annika Bharwani et al. Cureus. .

Abstract

COVID-19 lockdowns have led to significant disruptions in preventative health services worldwide. This review aims to assess the impact of COVID-19 lockdowns on worldwide preventive cancer screening participation. Major medical databases were searched using the keywords 'lockdown,' 'cancer,' and 'screening or diagnosis,' and relevant articles were evaluated against inclusion and exclusion criteria. The final review consisted of 38 studies. The impact of COVID-19 on screening uptake was categorized based on cancer type. All types of screening had decreased participation during or around the lockdown period. Racial and socioeconomic disparities, provider-related barriers, and patient attitudes about service disruptions during the pandemic were also highlighted in this review. Future research should focus on data from low- and middle-income countries to obtain a more comprehensive picture of the problem. Policy interventions that adopt self-screening or different screening intervals can also be considered to reduce impacts in future crises. Insights from existing studies and future research will allow for more proactive measures to manage future disruptions.

Keywords: covid 19; covid 19 impact of lockdown; covid-19 and cancer screening; covid-19 lockdown; global oncology; preventive oncology; public health care; public health policies.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. PRISMA flowchart for study selection
PRISMA: Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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