Fears over the coronavirus are being blamed for a 60% fall in urgent cancer referrals in England – with those for breast cancer down 78%, according to new figures.
Experts say far fewer people are coming forward with cancer symptoms because they are worried about catching the virus or overburdening staff.
The NHS England data records the number of people seen by a specialist within two weeks of being referred by their GP.
There were 79,573 referrals in April 2020, compared with 199,217 in April 2019.
Urgent breast cancer referrals plunged from 16,753 to 3,759 for the same period.
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Cancer treatment has also been significantly affected.
Almost 26% of patients had to wait more than three months for their first treatment after an urgent referral.
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Doctors have warned of a potential "surge" in cases in the coming months as people grow more confident in seeking medical help again.
As many as 36,000 cancer surgeries may also end up being pushed back in the UK due to the virus crisis, according to Birmingham University.
Sarah Woolnough, from Cancer Research UK, said the COVID-19 crisis was having a "devastating" effect on cancer patients and that "tens of thousands" were in a backlog for care.
"Patients need to know that cancer hospitals are a safe place to go, and that's why we are calling for the government and the NHS to make this happen as quickly as possible," she said.
Ms Woolnough said frequent testing of hospital staff and patients was vital so vulnerable patients are not put at risk.
NHS cancer chief Professor Peter Johnson said staff were working "incredibly hard" to ensure cancer care and procedures can go ahead.
He urged people to still visit their GP if they have cancer worries, but conceded that people had been put off due to "fear of catching the virus or not wanting to burden staff".
Worries about COVID-19 are also being blamed for a 42% fall in AccideRead More – Source
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