TIMELY FOLLOW-UP OF ABNORMAL CANCER SCREENING TEST RESULTS IN TWO LARGE PRIMARY CARE PRACTICE NETWORKS

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Timely follow-up of abnormal cancer screening test results (“abnormal screens”) is critical but often not achieved. As part of an NCI funded intervention trial (mFOCUS multilevel Follow-up of Cancer Screening, ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03979495), we report on abnormal screens that were identified and tracked to identify eligible patients overdue for study inclusion. While not anticipated when this study was conceived, the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in a larger than anticipated backlog of patients in need of follow-up of abnormal screens. METHODS: Patients in two primary care practice networks affiliated with Mass General Brigham who had an abnormal screen for breast, cervical or lung cancer were identified using computerized algorithms and then tracked for completion of appropriate follow-up based upon the cancer type and the severity of the abnormal result. Since the intervention was designed as a “fail safe” system, additional time (2-6 months depending on the severity of the abnormal screen) was added after the recommended follow-up interval. We report the number of abnormal screens by cancer type and severity of the abnormality and the number of patients who completed follow-up based upon guideline and expert recommendations. RESULTS: Patient tracking and enrollment started with abnormal screens for breast and lung on 8/24/2020 and cervical cancer on 10/16/2020. Enrollment ended for all abnormal screens on December 15, 2021. Over the study period, 4003 abnormal breast, 5214 abnormal cervical, and 478 abnormal lung screens were identified. High risk abnormalities were most common for cervical (51.7%, recommended colposcopy or endometrial biopsy), lung (22.6%, LRADS 4B, 4X or 5), and lowest for breast (0.4%, BIRADS 5). Rates of completing recommended follow-up of abnormal screens by cancer type and severity of the result are shown in the table. CONCLUSIONS: Maximizing the benefits of cancer screening requires the timely follow-up of abnormal screening results. Though likely exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, we identified that timely completion of abnormal screens is often not achieved. Rates of completion varied by cancer type and the severity of the abnormal result but highlight the need for systems based, multi-level interventions to identify, report and track abnormal results.