COVID-19 Disruptions to Endoscopic Surveillance in Lynch Syndrome

Disruptions in cancer screening due to the COVID-19 pandemic may disproportionally affect patients with inherited cancer predisposition syndromes, including Lynch syndrome. Herein, we study the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on endoscopic surveillance in Lynch syndrome through a prospective study of patients with Lynch syndrome at a tertiary referral center who were scheduled for endoscopic surveillance during the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown between March 16, 2020 and June 4, 2020. Of our cohort of 302 individuals with Lynch syndrome, 34 (11%) had endoscopic procedures scheduled during the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown. Of the 27 patients whose endoscopic surveillance was canceled during this period, 85% rescheduled procedures within 6 months with a median delay of 72 days [interquartile range (IQR), 55–84 days], with identification of an advanced adenoma or gastrointestinal cancer in 13%. Individuals who did not have a rescheduled endoscopic procedure were significantly younger than those with a rescheduled procedure [age 35 (IQR, 26–43) vs. age 55 (IQR, 43–63), P = 0.018]. Male sex was also suggestive of increasing likelihood of not having a rescheduled procedure. Taken together, our study demonstrates that the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown led to delayed endoscopic surveillance in Lynch syndrome, with potentially impactful delays among young patients. These data also emphasize the importance of timely surveillance in Lynch syndrome during this current, as well as potential future, global pandemics.

Prevention Relevance: The COVID-19 pandemic has led to unprecedented disruptions in cancer screening, which may have disproportionate effects on individuals at increased cancer risk, including those with Lynch syndrome. Herein, we show that the COVID-19 pandemic led to significant disruptions in Lynch syndrome surveillance with potentially impactful delays, thus highlighting the importance of ensuring timely surveillance among this high-risk cohort.