“Accelerating what works and ensuring all people have equitable access to proven cancer screening strategies is a great first step. This includes expanding the role of patient navigators and community health workers and building linkages with community agencies to help overcome barriers that hinder completion of recommended screening tests,” said Makaroff.

Some initiatives are already helping to increase screening. Last March, the USPSTF lowered the age for current and former smokers to get low-dose CT screenings for lung cancer from 55 to 50. It also redefined the definition of a heavy smoker as someone with a 30 pack-year history (one pack a day for 30 years) to a 20 pack-year history.

The changes are expected to especially be helpful for Black people, who have a higher risk of lung cancer than white people despite smoking fewer cigarettes than white men. They also are seen as potentially lifesaving for women, who also smoke less than white men.

And CMS followed suit just this past month with a similar guideline update.

Additionally, 19 states last year saw upticks in lung cancer screenings. But rates remained unchanged in 25 states and dropped in five others, including some with lower LCS rates prior to the pandemic.

But outside of lung, restoring screening is still a struggle. Whereas breast cancer rates between urban and rural women are similar and stabilizing, colorectal screening among rural women is lagging, with income and insurance being the main culprits.

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