Cervical, breast, and colorectal cancer screening by COVID-19 booster and influenza vaccination status in a sample of women in Puerto Rico

ABSTRACT

Background: Recommendation by a healthcare provider is essential for women to seek preventative cancer screening. Research has shown patients are receptive to information about cancer screening given by health professionals administering influenza vaccines. Promotion of cancer screening during vaccination may be particularly important in Puerto Rico (PR), which, relative to the continental United States, has low cervical and colorectal cancer screening rates. Objective(s) This study aims to determine if receiving the influenza vaccine in the past year or ever receiving the COVID-19 booster is associated with an increased likelihood of women participating in cervical, breast, and colorectal cancer screening in the past year. Method(s) Women older than 18 are recruited weekly in different ongoing community outreach events throughout Puerto Rico as part of the Puerto Rico Community Engagement Alliance (PR-CEAL) against COVID-19 disparities. The PR-CEAL outreach team completes an online community survey as part of their field activities. Initial data was collected from February 17th 2022 through May 28th 2022, with data collection currently ongoing. Pearson chi2 test or Fisher exact test, as appropriate, was used to quantify the association between participation in cancer screening and vaccination status. Result(s) As of May 31st, 253 women with a median age of 59 had been recruited. Of these, 56.1% had received the influenza vaccine in the past year, and 52.6% had received a COVID-19 booster. Nearly 52% of women with the booster and 65% without the booster received cervical cancer screening (p-value =0.29). Women with the booster and those without the booster (75% each) received breast cancer screening (p-value = 0.99). Only 16.1% of women with the booster and 11.8% without the booster had received colorectal cancer screening (p-value = 0.99). Receipt of cancer screening according to influenza vaccine status was as follows 59.3% vaccinated and 51.5% unvaccinated received cervical cancer screening (p-value = 0.35);31.4% vaccinated and 41.2% unvaccinated received breast cancer screening (p-value = 0.56);and 13.1% vaccinated and 9.3% unvaccinated received colorectal cancer screening (p-value = 0.46). Conclusion(s) No differences in receipt of cancer screening were found by influenza or COVID-19 booster vaccination status among adult women in Puerto Rico. Routine vaccination appointments may therefore represent a missed opportunity to promote cancer screening.