As a cancer surgeon for 30 years, I have never witnessed a decline in referrals such as over the last month (Coronavirus crisis could lead to 18,000 more cancer deaths, experts warn, 29 April). Too many patients are missing out on the care they need and there is a backlog building up that threatens to overwhelm us. While support for the NHS is strong, that may change if it becomes apparent that non-Covid-19 patients have been neglected.
Medical research has also been hit. Labs have been closed and trials suspended. Research budgets have been cut and hard-won progress set back years. Cancer Research UK, which funds half of all research into the disease, is facing a huge blow to its income. Its shops are closed, events have had to be cancelled and gifts from well-wishers have dwindled. It has already been forced to cut its support for research by £44m, and, without government help, more cuts may be in the pipeline.
This is disastrous for the future of medicine. We should support our medical charities to continue their vital work discovering new treatments. The health of our children and grandchildren depends on the choices we, and the government, make today.
Prof Ara Darzi
Imperial College London
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