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COVID-19

COVID-19 Pandemic Disrupts Cancer Screening, with Potential Long-Term Consequences

Strategic Insights

— 1 min read

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound impact on cancer screening, resulting in a significant deficit in screened patients in 2020 and 2021 compared to 2019. According to researchers from the University of California San Diego (UCSD), the cumulative shortfall in screenings, lasting nearly 3 years into the pandemic, is predicted to generate an incremental population cancer burden in the out-years of the models. The study highlights the importance of restoring cancer screening rates, particularly in populations that have historically struggled with disparities in cancer screening.

Key Takeaways:

  • The COVID-19 pandemic led to a significant deficit in cancer screenings, with a 3-year shortfall predicted to generate an incremental population cancer burden.
  • The recovery of screening rates may vary based on racial or ethnic population, and time will tell if there is an uneven burden of future cancers that worsen cancer incidence and mortality in those populations.
  • At-home noninvasive tests may increase screening participation overall across multiple populations and help mitigate some of the screening shortfalls from 2020 to 2022.
  • New additional comparably sensitive or ease-of-use noninvasive screening tests are being added for utilization in colorectal cancer.

Statistics:

  • The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in a deficit in screened patients in 2020 and 2021 compared to 2019, with a cumulative shortfall lasting nearly 3 years into the pandemic.
  • The incremental population cancer burden generated by the 3-year shortfall is predicted to occur in the out-years of the models.
  • 2020 and 2021 saw a significant decrease in cancer screening rates, with a return to 2019 baseline screening levels by December 2022.
  • The study highlights the importance of restoring cancer screening rates, particularly in populations that have historically struggled with disparities in cancer screening.

Sources:

[1] Cancer Screening Progress and Noninvasive Screening Opportunities Since the Onset of the Covid-19 Pandemic. Cancer Prevention Research, 2025;18(6):313-319.

[2] Medical Letter on the CDC & FDA. Reports from University of California San Diego (UCSD) Advance Knowledge in COVID-19 (Cancer Screening Progress and Noninvasive Screening Opportunities Since the Onset of the Covid-19 Pandemic). July 6, 2025; p 180.

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