Your Best Life

Screens, Surges, and Staying Out of Health Trouble

Sometimes health research is like a river. Its course is generally predictable, but storm surges can open new channels. Its direction can change a bit over time, but the destination remains the same.

The pandemic has been a major storm, and not just for those with Covid. It caused millions of us to stay away from hospitals and skip or delay mammograms, colonoscopies, ovarian cancer tests and other screening.

Only a few years ago, there was some concern in the research that Americans are tested more than necessary. The pandemic jolted that conversation towards worry that a wave of late-stage cancers, missed earlier because of testing delays, will overwhelm hospitals just as Covid has. Breast, colorectal and cervical cancer screenings declined very sharply in 2020. Other research indicates somewhat less concern about a surge. Resolving that question will take time. But this advice is quite clear: keep all your screening appointments and schedule any that were delayed. We can’t let the pandemic ruin the progress we have made in the fight against cancer. Delayed or skipped tests make cancer treatment much more difficult once it is discovered. Now it is safe again to be tested.

Also crucial: your relationship with your primary care doctor is a key factor in staying out of the hospital. When patients are not seeing a primary care doctor regularly, they end up in the hospital more often, and may have developed more serious health problems. If you or your family doctor are out of touch, you may be tempted to skip test appointments or to seek other care you need. Then health problems can accelerate, so be proactive with your health.