At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020, many people stopped getting their regular cancer screenings. At first, this was because most elective medical procedures (including many cancer screenings) were put on hold to prioritize urgent medical needs and reduce the risk of the spread of COVID-19 in health care settings. But even after cancer screenings began to be offered again, many people were understandably concerned about going to a health care facility unless they really needed to.
While cancer screening rates have improved since then, doctors are concerned that the screenings that were missed or delayed at the start of the pandemic will lead to more cancers being diagnosed when they are more advanced and harder to treat.
Regular cancer screening is very important
Regular screening can often help find cancer at an earlier stage, when it’s likely to be easier to treat. The American Cancer Society has screening recommendations for several types of cancer, including breast, colorectal, cervical, lung, and prostate cancer. See Find Cancer Early to learn more about our cancer screening guidelines.
If your cancer screening schedule was disrupted in the past few years for any reason, talk to your health care provider about getting back on schedule. Your provider can discuss balancing the risks and benefits of being screened, taking into account your personal and family history, other risk factors, and the timing of your last screening test.
It's important to know that cancer screening tests look for cancer in people who don’t have symptoms. These tests are different from tests your doctor might order if you have symptoms that could be from cancer. If you have signs or symptoms that might be from cancer, such as a lump in the breast or blood in the stool, contact your health care provider. Do not put off getting medical care if you have signs or symptoms that might be from cancer.