Fears that thousands could die from cancer due to delays

AS MANY as 3,500 lives may be lost to four common cancers over the next five years due to delays in diagnosis caused by Covid-19, experts have said.

A drop-off in the number of people seeing their GP with symptoms, and lower referrals for scans, could result in cancer being spotted too late, according to research published in The Lancet Oncology.

Even when people are referred to hospital, there are growing delays in accessing diagnostic services that could save lives, the study warned.

This combined effect means there must be a rapid ramping up of NHS diagnostics to prevent further avoidable deaths.

NHS figures show that 106,535 urgent cancer referrals were made by GPs in England in May 2020, down from 200,599 in May 2019 – a fall of 47 per cent.

At the same time, 55,500 more people are now waiting to have key cancer tests in England’s hospitals compared with the same point last year.

Dr Ajay Aggarwal, of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine in London, who led the research, said: “Our findings estimate a nearly 20 per cent increase in avoidable bowel cancer deaths due to diagnostic delays.

“To prevent this becoming a reality, it is vital that more resources are made urgently available for endoscopy and colonoscopy services which are managing significant backlogs currently, and that patients present promptly to their GP if they have any concerning symptoms.”

For the new study, experts created estimates for deaths based on disruption to cancer services and people avoiding seeking help due to Covid-19.

They calculated there could be about 3,500 potentially avoidable deaths from breast, bowel, oesophageal and lung cancer over the next five years in England.

On average, for each avoidable cancer death due to diagnostic delay, 20 years of life will be lost, with a substantial proportion of deaths in younger or middle-aged people, they said. The authors warned the true death toll could be far higher once all types of cancer were factored in together with delays in treatment for those already diagnosed with cancer.

An NHS spokeswoman said hospitals have “successfully and quickly cared” for patients urgently referred by GPs, with more than 94 per cent of cases being investigated within 14 days in May.

The spokeswoman added: “The NHS is taking urgent action to increase the number of tests carried out so that people are seen quickly, and more than 65,000 people have started treatment for cancer during the pandemic.”