Brits are now more likely to die of cancer than they were 15 years ago, a new study claims.
Researchers from the Institute for Public Policy Research have warned the coronavirus pandemic has led to significant disruption in cancer services across the NHS.
National cancer screening programmes have been suspended, meaning 210,000 fewer people are being screened a week, according to the researchers.
Cancer treatments including chemotherapy and radiation have also dropped, as well as clinical trials.
The researchers explained: “This will likely result in delayed diagnosis and treatment for those patients affected. We know that delays in referral lead to delays in diagnosis; delays in diagnosis to delays in treatment; and delays in treatment to premature deaths.
“Put simply: early diagnosis and treatment can make the difference between life and death.”
The researchers worked with CF healthcare consulting to predict the potential impact this late diagnosis could have.
Their analysis focused on three types of cancer – lung, breast and colorectal – and indicates that survival rates for all three could decrease.
They explained: “Our results show that for lung cancer, five-year survival stands to drop from 16.2 per cent to 15.4 per cent, for breast cancer from 85 per cent to 83.5 per cent, and for colorectal cancer from 58.4 per cent to 56.1 per cent.
“These declines would be significant.”
Based on the findings, the researchers are urging the government to put measures in place to restore services.
They added: “There is an urgent need for the government to put measures in place to restore the NHS’s performance. This must mean quickly addressing the backlog of cancer care, which is thought to be impacting up to 2.4 million people through urgent referrals alone.
“But there is also a need to recover diagnostics and services for new patients.
“The government deserves credit for launching a publicity campaign to encourage people to seek help when they have symptoms, and for putting in place plans to make cancer care Covid-19 safe. But it can and must go further.”
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