ASO Author Reflections: Association of COVID-19 Pandemic with Colorectal Cancer Screening: Impact of Race/Ethnicity and Social Vulnerability

PASTColorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common cancer in the United States.Given the efficacy of screening for early detection, 1 the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends screening for adults aged 45-74 years. 2 The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted healthcare delivery, including cancer screening. 3Various policies were implemented to mitigate COVID-19 transmission, which affected primary healthcare services and altered cancer screening practices. 4 Despite the easing of restrictions, screening for cancers did not fully recover post-pandemic with vulnerable populations possibly at higher risk for suboptimal screening. 5To date, the impact of the pandemic on CRC screening, particularly among socially vulnerable individuals, remains poorly defined.We sought to characterize CRC screening utilization during the pandemic, as well as post-pandemic return of screening practices relative to county-level SVI and race/ ethnicity in a nationally representative cohort.