COVID-19 and Other Underlying Causes of Cancer Deaths - United States, January 2018-July 2022.

Cancer survivors (persons who have received a diagnosis of cancer, from the time of diagnosis throughout their lifespan)* have increased risk for severe COVID-19 illness and mortality (1). This report describes characteristics of deaths reported to CDC's National Vital Statistics System (NVSS), for which cancer was listed as the underlying or a contributing cause (cancer deaths) during January 1, 2018-July 2, 2022. The underlying causes of death, including cancer and COVID-19, were examined by week, age, sex, race and ethnicity, and cancer type. Among an average of approximately 13,000 weekly cancer deaths, the percentage with cancer as the underlying cause was 90% in 2018 and 2019, 88% in 2020, and 87% in 2021. The percentage of cancer deaths with COVID-19 as the underlying cause differed by time (2.0% overall in 2020 and 2.4% in 2021, ranging from 0.2% to 7.2% by week), with higher percentages during peaks in the COVID-19 pandemic. The percentage of cancer deaths with COVID-19 as the underlying cause also differed by the characteristics examined, with higher percentages observed in 2021 among persons aged ≥65 years (2.4% among persons aged 65-74 years, 2.6% among persons aged 75-84 years, and 2.4% among persons aged ≥85 years); males (2.6%); persons categorized as non-Hispanic American Indian or Alaska Native (AI/AN) (3.4%), Hispanic or Latino (Hispanic) (3.2%), or non-Hispanic Black or African American (Black) (2.5%); and persons with hematologic cancers, including leukemia (7.4%), lymphoma (7.3%), and myeloma (5.8%). This report found differences by age, sex, race and ethnicity, and cancer type in the percentage of cancer deaths with COVID-19 as the underlying cause. These results might guide multicomponent COVID-19 prevention interventions and ongoing, cross-cutting efforts to reduce health disparities and address structural and social determinants of health among cancer survivors, which might help protect those at disproportionate and increased risk for death from COVID-19.

Geographic Examination of COVID-19 Test Percent Positivity and Proportional Change in Cancer Screening Volume, National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program.

INTRODUCTION: In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic led to significant declines in cancer screening, including among women served by the National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program (NBCCEDP). This study examined the spatial association between state-based COVID-19 test percent positivity and proportional change in NBCCEDP screening volume. METHODS: Using the COVID-19 Diagnostic Laboratory Testing dataset, we calculated state-based monthly COVID-19 test percent positivity from July through December 2020 and categorized rates into low, medium, and high groups. We used data from 48 NBCCEDP state awardees to calculate the state-based monthly proportional change in screening volume and compared data for July-December 2020 with the previous 5-year average for those months. We categorized changes in screening volume into large decrease, medium decrease, and minimal change and created maps of the associations between variable subgroups by using bivariate mapping in QGIS. RESULTS: Bivariate relationships between COVID-19 test percent positivity and proportional change in cancer screening volume varied over time and geography. In 5 of 6 months, 4 states had high COVID-19 test percent positivity and minimal change in breast or cervical cancer screening volume; 2 states had high COVID-19 test percent positivity and minimal change in breast and cervical cancer screening volume. CONCLUSION: Some states maintained pre-COVID-19 screening volumes despite high COVID-19 test percent positivity. Follow-up research will be conducted to determine how these states differ from those with consistent decreases in screening volume and identify factors that may have contributed to differences. This information could be useful for planning to maximize NBCCEDP awardees' ability to maintain screening volume during future public health emergencies.

Pursuing Data Modernization in Cancer Surveillance by Developing a Cloud-Based Computing Platform: Real-Time Cancer Case Collection.

Cancer surveillance is a field focused on collection of data to evaluate the burden of cancer and apply public health strategies to prevent and control cancer in the community. A key challenge facing the cancer surveillance community is the number of manual tasks required to collect cancer surveillance data, thereby resulting in possible delays in analysis and use of the information. To modernize and automate cancer data collection and reporting, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is planning, developing, and piloting a cancer surveillance cloud-based computing platform (CS-CBCP) with standardized electronic reporting from laboratories and health-care providers. With this system, automation of the cancer case collection process and access to real-time cancer case data can be achieved, which could not be done before. Furthermore, the COVID-19 pandemic has illustrated the importance of continuity of operations plans, and the CS-CBCP has the potential to provide such a platform suitable for remote operations of central cancer registries.