Impact of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Pandemic on Cervical Cancer Screening in Gynecological Practices in Germany
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Philipps-Universität Marburg
Abstract
The outbreak of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a major challenge for healthcare systems and impedes cancer screening programs worldwide. However, no research has been performed that analyzes the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the newly implemented German Cervical Cancer Screening (CCS) program. Here, we showed a severe clinically relevant decrease of patients receiving CCS in Germany between the pre-pandemic time period of 2018–2019 and the pandemic years of 2020–2021. Given that this sudden drop in number of CCS per practice is unlikely, our data suggest a dramatic number of underdiagnosed cervical precancer lesions that may lead to increased cervical cancer burden in the future.