Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on colorectal cancer screening in New York City
- Resource Type
- Authors
- Briton Lee; Sigrid Young; Renee Williams; Peter S Liang
- Source
- Journal of Medical Screening. 30:81-86
- Subject
- Health Policy
Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health
- Language
- ISSN
- 1475-5793
0969-1413
Background The COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacted the delivery of cancer screening. The resulting decrease in outpatient visits and cancellations of non-urgent procedures have negatively affected colorectal cancer (CRC) screening. We aimed to determine the effect of the pandemic on CRC screening at a safety-net hospital and a private health system based in New York City. Methods We identified individuals eligible for CRC screening aged 50 to 75 years presenting for outpatient care at a safety-net public hospital and private health system in April through September of 2019 and 2020. The primary outcome was the proportion of screening-eligible patients seen in primary care who underwent CRC screening. Results The safety-net hospital had 516 (6.1% of screening-eligible individuals) and 269 (4.3%) screening tests completed in 2019 and 2020, respectively (p < 0.01). Fecal immunochemical tests (FIT) accounted for 69.6% of screening in 2019 and 88.1% in 2020. Colonoscopy accounted for 20.3% of screening in 2019 and 11.9% in 2020. The private health system had 39 (0.7%) and 21 (0.6%) screening tests completed in 2019 and 2020, respectively (p = 0.48). FIT accounted for 61.9% of screening in 2019 and 57.1% in 2020. Colonoscopy accounted for 38.1% of screening in 2019 and 42.9% in 2020. Conclusion Absolute numbers of screening tests decreased for both institutions during the COVID-19 pandemic. We observed a decrease in screening uptake and increase in proportional FIT use in the safety-net hospital but no change in the private health system.