09
Feb 2021
Tens of thousands of cancer patients have missed out on treatment due to pandemic
Official figures have revealed that tens of thousands have missed out on potentially lifesaving treatment.
According to Public Health England, surgery to remove tumours dropped by a third during the first wave of the pandemic and from April to August, around 21,700 fewer patients had cancer surgery than in the same period in the previous year.
The number of patients receiving a cancer diagnosis from April to September last year was 35,592, a fall of a quarter compared with 2019 levels.
Earlier this week, experts warned that cancer patients have become ‘collateral damage’ of the pandemic, putting tens of thousands of lives at risk. Research has shown that every four week delay in treatment increases the risk of death by cancer by around 10 per cent.
Charities have warned that the backlog has worsened in recent weeks, as hospitals throughout the country scrambled to clear beds for the anticipated surge in Covid patients. Several major London hospitals have cancelled all operations not considered immediately lifesaving.
Professor Pat Price, founder of the Catch Up With Cancer campaign and chairman of Action Radiotherapy, said “The scale of the cancer backlog created by the first wave was a big enough concern.
“But as the second wave rages, the cancer backlog is growing ever bigger and our window of opportunity to tackle it is slipping by fast.
“We could now be faced with a Covid-induced cancer backlog that is close to 100,000 patients with the potential of tens of thousands of unnecessary cancer deaths.
“The frustration is that it doesn’t have to be this way. The question isn’t should we save Covid patients or cancer patients. We should and can do both.
An NHS spokesperson said “When looking at complete and up to date data, it’s clear that the difference between 2019 and 2020 treatment levels is far less than suggested by this snapshot, as cancer care during the pandemic, including the fast tracking of ‘Covid-friendly’ drugs, with the majority of treatment going ahead, over 1.3 million people having checks and more than 200,000 starting treatment.
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Posted by Tony May, Partner/head of Clinical Negligence Department, Chadwick Lawrence LLP (tonymay@chadlaw.co.uk ), medical negligence lawyers and clinical negligence solicitors in Huddersfield, Leeds, Wakefield and Halifax, West Yorkshire.
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