The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Ontario Cervical Screening Program, colposcopy and treatment services in Ontario, Canada: a population-based study

Abstract

Objective: To describe the immediate impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on cervical screening, colposcopy and treatment volumes in Ontario, Canada. Design: Population-based retrospective observational study. Setting: Ontario, Canada. Population: People with a cervix age of 21–69 years who completed at least one cervical screening cytology test, colposcopy or treatment procedure for cervical dysplasia between January 2019 and August 2020. Methods: Administrative databases were used to compare cervical screening cytology, colposcopy and treatment procedure volumes before (historical comparator) and during the first 6 months of the COVID-19 pandemic (March–August 2020). Main outcome measures: Changes in cervical screening cytology, colposcopy and treatment volumes; individuals with high-grade cytology awaiting colposcopy. Results: During the first 6 months of the COVID-19 pandemic, the monthly average number of cervical screening cytology tests, colposcopies and treatments decreased by 63.8% (range: −92.3 to −41.0%), 39.7% (range: −75.1 to −14.3%) and 31.1% (range: −43.5 to −23.6%), respectively, when compared with the corresponding months in 2019. Between March and August 2020, on average 292 (−51.0%) fewer high-grade cytological abnormalities were detected through screening each month. As of August 2020, 1159 (29.2%) individuals with high-grade screening cytology were awaiting follow-up colposcopy. Conclusions: The COVID-19 pandemic has had a substantial impact on key cervical screening and follow-up services in Ontario. As the pandemic continues, ongoing monitoring of service utilisation to inform system response and recovery is required. Future efforts to understand the impact of COVID-19-related disruptions on cervical cancer outcomes will be needed. Tweetable abstract: COVID-19 has had a substantial impact on cervical screening and follow-up services in Ontario, Canada.