Disparities in Healthcare: Evaluation of Equity in Access to Surveillance Colonoscopy After Hemicolectomy in Patients With Colon Cancer During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Introduction: Surveillance colonoscopy is rcommended for patients with colon cancer who obtain a hemicolectomy for tumor resection. Guidelines from many organizations require this colonoscopy to be performed within one year after resection. The objective of this study was to evaluate the difference in surveillance colonoscopy rates between white people and African Americans who had their colon tumors resected. The second objective was to determine whether the COVID-19 pandemic affected these colonoscopy rates. The study goal was to shed light on the issue of low colonoscopy rates among African Americans with colon cancer after tumor removal by hemicolectomy and on how the pandemic exacerbated this issue. Methods: A total of 800 patient charts from Brooklyn Methodist Hospital were reviewed. The selected patients had a history of colon cancer and received hemicolectomy in the past. The patients were divided according to race and their expected surveillance colonoscopy dates. One group included patients with an expected one-year follow-up date for colonoscopy after hemicolectomy before the start of the pandemic. Another group included patients with colonoscopies due to be performed during the pandemic. A two-sample proportions test was used to compare the colonoscopy rates before and during the pandemic for African Americans. The two-sample equal variance t-test was used to compare the average distance from the patients' home to hospital between African Americans and whites. Results: The surveillance colonoscopy rates among African Americans were 54% before and 45% during the pandemic. This difference was significant (p < 0.001). The colonoscopy rates between whites and African Americans differed. The surveillance colonoscopy rates among whites were 97% before and 84% during the pandemic. The distance between the patients' homes and the hospital where the procedure was performed also significantly differed. The average travel distance for whites was 1.33 miles and that for African Americans was 3.98 miles (p < 0.001). A total of 215 of the 416 African American patients included had tumors in the cecum and ascending colon. Conclusion: A significant difference was observed in the colonoscopy rates for African Americans before and during the pandemic. A substantial difference was found in the colonoscopy rates between whites and African Americans, which increased during the pandemic. The distance from the patients' home to the hospital performing the colonoscopy was twice as far for African Americans than whites in the borough of Brooklyn. These data support the hypothesis that a significant difference in colonoscopy rates exists between African Americans and whites, probably because of a healthcare disparity in access to this procedure. The study objective was to highlight the long-standing issue of low colonoscopy rates in African Americans and how the pandemic further decreased these low rates.