Macmillan warns of ‘ticking time bomb’

Macmillan Cancer Support has said that cancer is going undiagnosed for up to 2,000 people a week due to the coronavirus pandemic, with the charity warning that the UK now faces a ‘ticking time bomb’.

The warning follows a study from the Institute of Cancer Research, London, that suggested putting off cancer surgeries for three months could lead to almost 5,000 excess deaths in England alone.

Now, Macmillan Cancer Support has said that the disease risks becoming ‘the forgotten C’ of the coronavirus outbreak, with evidence of patients having appointments cancelled or postponed, while others awaiting possible diagnosis say they are put off attending hospitals due to concerns about contracting the virus.

In fact, almost half of cancer patients who support Macmillan’s campaigning work had seen their cancer treatment delayed, cancelled or changed as a result of coronavirus.

Macmillan is calling on the government to set out clear plans for restoring cancer care that clarify how cancer patients will have access to timely diagnosis and treatment, with surge capacity to catch up on the backlog of care coronavirus has caused.

Steven McIntosh, Macmillan Cancer Support policy director, said: “We’ve seen a very worrying drop in the number of people coming forward with suspected cancer symptoms to be referred for diagnosis by their GPs. We estimate that disruptions to GP referrals – screening programmes – could mean as many as 1,900 cases of cancer a week are currently going undiagnosed.

“That’s why we’re warning that the size of this ticking time bomb is deeply worrying for people who are living with cancer but also for storing up huge problems for the NHS in trying to diagnose and treat cancer, when we have also seen significant disruption to cancer surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy.”