The study’s authors, however, advise against rescheduling imaging or vaccinations due to it potentially deterring racial and ethnic minorities from seeking medical support in the future. Such populations are more likely to suffer from both COVID-19 and cancer, write the authors. “In the specific setting of dramatically increased barriers to routine health care and strained healthcare resources due to the pandemic, we continue to focus our efforts to bring patients in for recommended imaging and to use a pragmatic approach for our radiologists and healthcare team to manage UAL in the setting of recent vaccination.”

They add that low-test probability shows that ipsilateral UAL can be managed clinically without advanced imaging of malignant lymphadenopathy, and advise clear communication between patients and providers to reduce confusion. This can be done through recording vaccination status, advanced planning, and sending out letters about side effects of the vaccines to patients.

The findings were published in the Journal of the American College of Radiology.

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