Publications

Changes in screening test volume during the COVID-19 pandemic

A study examined COVID-19's effect on the NBCCEDP's screening services during January 2020 to December 2022.

Key findings

• The total number of cancer screening tests received by women through the program declined by 85% for breast cancer and 84% for cervical cancer during April 2020 as compared with the previous 5-year averages for that month.
• Rates gradually increased to near the previous 5-year averages by October 2020 and remained slightly lower throughout 2021 and 2022.
• By December 2022, the number of screening tests for breast cancer was 14% below pre-COVID levels and for cervical cancer was 13% below pre-COVID levels.
• The number of screening tests for both breast and cervical cancer showed greater improvement in metro areas compared to urban and rural areas.

Reach and health impacts

The articles in this special issue of Cancer Causes & Control report on the reach and health impact of the NBCCEDP, and detail the challenges and opportunities in improving access to cancer screening for all women.

Key findings

• About one-third of women who are eligible for the NBCCEDP were not screened for cervical cancer, either within or outside the program.
• About 60% of all women who are eligible for the NBCCEDP were not screened for breast cancer.
• Compared to other women with breast cancer, women diagnosed with breast cancer through the NBCCEDP were diagnosed at a later stage.

Among women diagnosed through the NBCCEDP:

• Distant-stage breast cancer was more common among older women, Black women, and those whose mammograms were diagnostic.
• Distant-stage cervical cancer was more common among older women and those who had not been screened within the last 5 years.

Two decades of service to underserved women

The articles in this supplemental issue of the journal Cancer describe the aspects of the NBCCEDP, and show consistent value in the program beyond its original purpose of detecting cancers in underserved women.

Key findings

• Partnerships at national and local levels have played a critical role in achieving NBCCEDP goals. We have partnerships with national organizations and their members, community-based organizations, government agencies, tribes, health care systems, and professional organizations.
• The NBCCEDP has made tremendous contributions to breast and cervical cancer screening for Alaska Native and American Indian women and has strengthened local tribal screening capacity.
• Data use is important for quality assurance. The data monitor the quality of services provided, help identify issues with the services provided, determine the causes of the issues, and check whether these issues were corrected.