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Covid has had a “catastrophic” impact on cancer treatments and “a crisis is brewing,” the World Health Organization has warned.
Millions of people across Europe have seen their testing or treatment delayed due to lockdowns put in place to control the coronavirus pandemic in 2020.
As a result, many of them will start treatment later when their disease is more advanced and more difficult to treat, which means they are more likely to die or remain disabled.
Dr Hans Kluge, WHO Regional Director for Europe, said: “ Due to travel restrictions and the enormous pressure on health systems to fight Covid-19, services are fighting against cancer have been disrupted across the region, significantly delaying diagnosis and treatment, which has a direct impact on the chances of recovery or survival for hundreds of thousands of cancer patients ”.
Many more people will die in the years to come, especially from breast and bowel cancer, for which screening appointments have been postponed, he said.
Dr Kluge’s comments echo concerns raised last year by cancer charities in the UK, which said excluding patients in the spring would lead to a time bomb against cancer.
With the exception of urgent appointments and emergency treatment, many hospital departments were closed during the first lockdown of 2020 in anticipation of an increase in the number of Covid patients. It took months for the NHS to get back on its feet and, during that time, the number of people waiting for routine surgery hit a record 4.46 million.
Macmillan Cancer Support has sounded the alarm for months that hundreds of thousands of fewer appointments to discuss suspected cancer have taken place during the pandemic, meaning a growing number of people are not diagnosed.
Dr Hans Kluge, WHO Regional Director for Europe, said: “ Cancer services have been disrupted across the WHO European Region, significantly delaying diagnosis and treatment, which is impacting direct on the chances of recovery or survival of hundreds of thousands of cancer patients ”
Data from Public Health England suggests that 14% fewer people than expected received radiation therapy for cancer this year, Macmillan Cancer Support warned. The decreases in treatments and appointments aren’t because fewer people get cancer, but because they don’t go to the doctor or hospital when they should.
Dr Kluge said in his statement yesterday: “At the Kyrgyzstan National Oncology Center, the number of cancers diagnosed in April last year fell by 90%, while in the Netherlands and Belgium during the first lockdown of 2020, it fell 30–40 percent.
‘Delayed diagnosis and treatment in the UK is expected to lead to an increase in the number of deaths from [bowel] 15% cancer and 9% for breast cancer over the next 5 years.
“A crisis of noncommunicable diseases, including cancer, is brewing, brought on by the pandemic.”
Fears of Covid patients totally crushing NHS hospitals gripped politicians last spring, when they saw wards in Italy overflowing with patients infected with the virus.
As a result, the majority of “ non-essential ” medical care has been suspended so that the health service can direct its efforts towards preparing for the coronavirus.
Even patients who did not see their appointments or their operations canceled were too scared to show up for fear of catching coronavirus or putting extra pressure on the NHS.
A&E visits to England fell by about half in the first lockdown – partly because people were staying home and less likely to be injured, and partly because some people were delaying medical care.
It has since turned into an increase in the number of people dying in their own homes.
While non-Covid deaths in hospitals fell to below average levels last year, deaths at home have increased. Experts say it may be because people were avoiding hospitals.
Macmillan Cancer Support said last month that the number of people who saw a cancer doctor between March and November 2020 was 350,000 less than during the same period in 2019, a drop of 19%.
The number of people starting cancer treatment is also still significantly below average.
Cancer services in the UK have been disrupted by the large number of people who have been hospitalized with Covid-19. There are currently more than 30,000 people with the disease in hospital wards across the country
In November, according to the most recent NHS data, 1,200 fewer people than expected started their cancer treatment – 25,074 compared to the usual 26,300.
And the number of people starting cancer treatment after a routine screening appointment fell 29% from 2019, to 1,337.
Screening appointments have also had to be postponed, meaning thousands of people have missed their regular breast, cervical or bowel tests to try and catch cancer early, which is crucial for improving survival rates.
Data from Public Health England also showed that the number of people receiving radiation therapy for cancer fell 14 percent below average during the crisis.
Declines in treatments and appointments aren’t because fewer people get cancer, but because they don’t go to doctors or hospitals when they should be.
Macmillan policy chief Sara Bainbridge said: “It is essential that cancer does not become the ‘forgotten C’ in this pandemic.
“We need to see the government act to ensure that cancer services are protected during the winter and this second wave.
Dr Kluge explained: “Some countries have experienced shortages of anticancer drugs, and many have seen a significant decline in new cancer diagnoses – even the most resource-rich countries.
“Oncology health workers were in demand even before the pandemic. The high cost of cancer drugs and treatments is a challenge for all countries, including high-income countries.
“Pre-existing inequalities are also widening due to the economic crisis, making it more difficult for many to adopt healthy behaviors or to access prevention or care services.
“The impact of the pandemic on cancer in the Region is simply catastrophic. It made us realize the real human cost of neglecting a non-communicable disease like cancer.
“This is our wake-up call, from grassroots to governments, to fight cancer together.”
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