Millions Of Women Skipped Cancer Screenings Because Of Covid Pandemic, Study Suggests

According to researchers from the American Cancer Society, the Covid-19 epidemic caused millions of women to forgo mammograms in 2020, especially Hispanic women and those with lower incomes.

The number of women who reported having a breast cancer screening in 2020 decreased by more than 2 million compared to the year before, while the number of women who completed a Cervical Cancer screening decreased.

Screenings fell 80% at the beginning of the Pandemic in March and April 2020, with many catching up later in 2020.

Hispanic, Asian and Native American women were found to have lower breast cancer screenings than white women.

The number of Asian and Pacific Islanders who completed a breast cancer screening decreased by 27%.

Compared to college graduates, non-high school graduates were less likely to complete breast and cervical cancer screenings.

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According to Jemal, researchers know that cancer screenings save lives. Researchers will need to monitor the issue closely to understand the impact of lower screening rates on cancer outcomes among people of color and lower income people.

There was no change in colorectal cancer screenings for men and women in 2020 compared to the previous year.

Surprising Fact

According to the New York Department of Health, mammograms prevent 12,000 deaths annually and have helped cut the number of deaths in half.

Key Background

Access to health care was disrupted due to safety concerns and overburdened health-care systems as a result of the Covid-19 Pandemic. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, women were more likely than men to go without health care, and lower income women were more likely to experience worse health issues as a result. Black, Hispanic, Asian, and Native American populations have lower rates of cancer screenings compared to whites. People of color are more likely to be uninsured than their white counterparts, according to researchers. The JAMA study is the first to look at the impact of the coronaviruses on cancer screenings.

According to a report, women were more likely to skip health care during the Pandemic.