Up to 35,000 excess deaths are possible within the next 12 months as a result of delays in cancer diagnosis and treatment caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
It is feared around two million routine breast, bowel and cervical cancer screenings may have been missed throughout the Covid-19 crisis, according to a study conducted by DATA-CAN, the Health Care Research Hub (HDR UK) for Cancer.
Researchers examined data from eight hospital trusts in modelling outcomes depending upon how long the delays continue.
A worst-case scenario could see 35,000 more people dying of cancer by this time next year, researchers told BBC's Panorama programme.
DATA-CAN’s scientific lead Professor Mark Lawler told the programme: “Anecdotally, people have been telling us there were problems, but I think the critical thing was being able to actually have routine data from hospital trusts.”
NHS England’s national clinical director for cancer Peter Johnson said the organisation it was vital cancer services were restored to normal levels as quickly as possible.
He told the Panorama programme: “We’re working as fast as we can to put the services back together again, to restore the capacity and indeed to build more, so that we can deal with the people that have not been diagnosed during the time when the services have been running below 100 per cent.
“I’m hoping that we will get back to where we need to be by the end of the year.”
BBC Panorama’s ‘Britain’s Cancer Crisis’ airs on Monday, July 6 at 7.30pm on BBC One.
