Fewer women are attending breast cancer screenings since the Covid pandemic, warns new research. The drop has been particularly notable among older women and those from ethnic minorities, according to the findings. Figures show that monthly screening volume temporarily decreased by 80.
57 per cent from February to April 2020 at the height of the pandemic, before rebounding to close to pre-pandemic levels after June 2020. But, even after the rebound, there was still a decrease in the rate of follow-up breast cancer screenings. On average, Covid-19 led to a 2.
47 per cent decrease in follow-up screening rates among all women participants. Researchers say their findings, published in the journal The Annals of Family Medicine, indicate a "significant number" of missed screenings. The figures show that American women were generally less likely to return for follow-up screenings during the pandemic, especially women over 65 years old and women from racial minority groups.
Study co-author Dr Qiushi Chen said: "The slight decrease in follow-up screening rates translates to many missed opportunities for early detection and treatment of breast cancer, which can result in late-stage diagnoses and poorer health outcomes. The disparities in adherence to follow-up screenings among older and racial minority women are concerning as they suggest a risk of increased late-stage diagnoses and mortality among these groups." Breast cancer is the second most common form of the disease among women.
Dr.
