Early cancer diagnoses in England drop during pandemic

New data has confirmed that the number of people being diagnosed with cancer early in England has plummeted during the coronavirus pandemic.

Collected by Public Health England’s National Cancer Registration and Analysis Service, the figures show that a third fewer cancers were detected at stage one, when the chances of survival are highest, in the early months of the pandemic than during the same months a year before.

While 18,400 people in England had their cancer diagnosed at stage one between March and June 2019, this dropped by 33 per cent to 12,400 in the same period last year – a fall of 1,500 people a month.

The findings have prompted concerns that many will only be treated when it is too late to save them.

Macmillan Cancer Support, which obtained the data, said the sharp fall could mean some cancers have now progressed to a point where they can no longer be treated because of the delays in diagnosis.

The charity estimates that it would take the NHS 18 months working at 110 per cent capacity to catch up on missing cancer diagnoses and 15 months to clear the cancer treatment backlog.

Steven McIntosh, the executive director of advocacy and communications at Macmillan Cancer Support, said: “While it’s fantastic that Covid rates are dropping and lockdown is easing, the knock-on impact of the pandemic on cancer care cannot be overstated. We are likely to be dealing with Covid’s long shadow for many years to come.

“There are major concerns that there may be a shift to later diagnosis as a result of later presentations and longer waits. When cancer is diagnosed at a later or more advanced stage, it can be more difficult to treat or may be incurable, which can have a huge impact on a person’s treatment and prognosis.

“This data supports the widespread concern that the disruption caused by Covid-19 will lead to many people being diagnosed with more advanced cancer due to reduced numbers going to their GP with symptoms, delayed tests and longer waiting times.”