Cancer screening rates and diagnoses had yet to bounce back to pre-pandemic levels by the end of 2021, a new analysis published in JAMA Oncology shows.
👀 What they found: Using a set of nationally representative, all-payer data claims from analytics company Trilliant Health, researchers found that "screening quickly rebounded after the initial stages of the pandemic; however, the longer follow-up time reveals that gaps in preventive cancer screening returned and worsened."
- The study adds data to provider anecdotes about patients being diagnosed with later-stage cancers after putting off screening during lockdowns.
- They've also seen that patients have been slow to return to regular cancer screenings and check-ups as the pandemic has eased.