ACS Guidance on Cancer Screening During COVID-19

ACS Guidance on Cancer Screening During COVID-19

Cancer prevention and early detection are central to the American Cancer Society’s mission to save lives, celebrate lives, and lead the fight for a world without cancer.

Early detection of cancer through screening reduces mortality from cancers of the colon and rectum, breast, uterine cervix, and lung (see the ACS screening guidelines). Cancer mortality has declined in recent decades in part due to progress in cancer screening technologies, awareness, research, and the general population’s improved uptake in screening services.

Yet, far too many individuals for whom screening is recommended remain unscreened, and this situation has been aggravated by the substantial decline in cancer screening resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. Moreover, the pandemic-related disruptions will likely exacerbate existing disparities in cancer screening and survival across groups of people who have systemically experienced social or economic obstacles to screening and care.

In response to these challenges, the American Cancer Society developed these reports to summarize the current situation and to provide guidance on how public health agencies, health care providers, and screening advocates across the nation can promote and deliver cancer screening appropriately, safely, and equitably during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The following documents are provided below:

  • A Full Toolkit (all six documents combined)
  • Universal Screening Messages Overview
  • Screening Guidance for Breast Cancer
  • Screening Guidance for Cervical Cancer
  • Screening Guidance for Colorectal Cancer
  • Screening Guidance for Lung Cancer
  • Guidance for HPV Vaccination

The Full Guidance Toolkit (All Documents Combined)

The Full Guidance Toolkit document includes all six guidance documents in one convenient PDF. The six guidance documents provide information on universal screening messages and information on breast cancer screening, cervical cancer screening, colorectal cancer screening, lung cancer screening, and HPV vaccination during the COVID-19 pandemic.  

Universal Screening Messages Overview

The Universal Cancer Screening Messages Overview document contains four universal messages about cancer screening during the COVID-19 pandemic. The messages are about public health priorities, screening disparities, engaging patients in the resumption of screening, and process and policy changes that are necessary to return screening to pre-pandemic levels.

Screening Guidance for Breast Cancer

The Screening Guidance for Breast Cancer document contains the latest American Cancer Society recommendations for breast cancer screening, information on why screening is important, what people at higher-than-average risk for breast cancer should know, and information on how to manage and promote breast cancer screening during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Screening Guidance for Cervical Cancer

The Screening Guidance for Cervical Cancer document contains the latest American Cancer Society recommendations for cervical cancer screening, information on why screening is important, what people at higher-than-average risk for cervical cancer should know, and information on how to manage and promote cervical cancer screening during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Screening Guidance for Colorectal Cancer

The Screening Guidance for Colorectal Cancer document contains the latest American Cancer Society recommendations for colorectal cancer screening, information on why screening is important, what people at higher-than-average risk for colorectal cancer should know, and what patient populations should be prioritized for screening during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Screening Guidance for Lung Cancer

The Screening Guidance for Lung Cancer document contains the latest American Cancer Society recommendations for lung cancer screening, information on why screening is important, what people at higher-than-average risk for lung cancer should know, and information on how to manage and promote HPV vaccination during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Guidance for HPV Vaccination

The Guidance for HPV Vaccination document contains the latest American Cancer Society recommendations for HPV vaccination, information on why vaccination is important, and information on how to manage and promote HPV vaccination during the COVID-19 pandemic.