Substantial reductions in medical services and procedures relating to cancer investigations and treatment have been reported by service providers in Australia in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Cancer Australia has undertaken an analysis of a range of services reimbursed through the Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) for the months January 2020 to December 2020 to understand where any reductions in cancer-related services have occurred, and the types of services affected. Data were examined both at a national level and by jurisdiction.

Analyses focussed on:

• MBS item numbers for cancer-related diagnostic and treatment procedures
• New telehealth MBS items available during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The latest findings are published in the following report: The impact of COVID-19 on cancer-related medical services and procedures in Australia in 2020: Examination of MBS claims data for 2020, nationally and by jurisdiction. 

This report contains MBS data up to December 2020, examined nationally and by jurisdiction, for 14 cancer types: breast, colorectal, lung, prostate, melanoma of the skin, stomach, kidney, pancreatic, liver, uterine, ovarian, cervical, vaginal, and vulval cancers. Analyses showed reductions in the number of services observed nationally for 2020 for diagnostic and treatment procedures, when compared to the number of services expected. Similar patterns of differences between observed and expected services were generally observed across all states and territories for each cancer type, although with some variation by jurisdiction.

Previous analyses of MBS data for the first three quarters of 2020 showed national reductions in total monthly services for diagnostic and therapeutic procedures during the initial COVID-19 period between March and May 2020 for these five cancer types: breast, colorectal, lung, prostate, and skin cancers. The monthly data for some services showed an initial recovery in May, with many services showing partial or full recovery in numbers by June 2020, and further recovery by September 2020 for some but not all services. Similar patterns of change were observed across all states and territories, with some variation by jurisdiction. These findings are published in the following reports:

• National and jurisdictional data on the impact of COVID-19 on medical services and procedures in Australia: Breast, colorectal, lung, prostate and skin cancers (PDF 2.3 MB). This report contains MBS data up to September 2020, examined nationally and by jurisdiction.
• Review of the impact of COVID-19 on medical services and procedures in Australia utilising MBS data: Lung and prostate cancers (PDF 2.9 MB). This report contains MBS data up to June 2020, examined nationally. 
• Review of the impact of COVID-19 on medical services and procedures in Australia utilising MBS data: Skin, breast and colorectal cancers, and telehealth services (PDF 1 MB). This report contains MBS data up to June 2020, examined nationally.

Download the reports at:

• Utilisation of telehealth services for Professional Attendances for cancer-related services January 2020 to September 2021: Nationally and by population group (PDF 3.08 MB)
• The impact of COVID-19 on cancer-related medical services and procedures in Australia in 2020: Examination of MBS claims data for 2020, nationally and by jurisdiction (PDF 1.72 MB)
• National and jurisdictional data on the impact of COVID-19 on medical services and procedures in Australia: Breast, colorectal, lung, prostate and skin cancers  (PDF 2.3 MB)
• Review of the impact of COVID-19 on medical services and procedures in Australia utilising MBS data: Lung and prostate cancers (PDF 2.9 MB)
• Review of the impact of COVID-19 on medical services and procedures in Australia utilising MBS data: Skin, breast and colorectal cancers, and telehealth services (PDF 1 MB)