AN ESTIMATED 7000 people in Scotland are believed to be living with undiagnosed cancer as a result of the "devastating impact" of the pandemic on cancer services.
Data from Public Health Scotland shows that nearly one in five new cases of the disease could have been missed after screening services were paused, GP referrals plunged, and the NHS was faced with huge backlogs in demand for diagnostic tests such as endoscopies and CT scans.
Campaigners have described the figures as "very worrying", warning that for some patients the disease will now be picked up too late.
“These figures highlight the continued devastating impact of the pandemic on cancer services," said Kate Seymour, Macmillan’s head of policy in Scotland.
She added: "Unless Scotland’s missing cancer patients are found urgently, the country is likely to face a rapid rise in people being diagnosed with very advanced cancers, some of which will be too late to treat.
“The Scottish Government must tackle this urgently, ensuring the cancer care system has the resources it needs to recover rapidly."
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The PHS statistics, part of its Covid 'wider impact' series, show that there was a 17 per cent drop in cancer diagnoses in the 11 months to November 29 last year, compared to the same period in 2019.
A total of 40,343 cases were detected in 2019, compared to 33,341 over the same period in 2020.
The PHS report states: "That is to say, just over 7,000 fewer patients in Scotland had a pathologically confirmed cancer diagnosis by the end of November 2020 than would have been expected."
This included 726 fewer lung cancer diagnoses, a year-on-year fall of 23%, and 1,615 fewer breast cancer diagnoses - down 21% year-on-year.
There were also 590 fewer prostate cancer diagnoses, down 19% on 2019, and 1,064 fewer colorectal cancers, a 23% reduction year-on-year.
The figures were broadly similar between the sexes, with 3,649 fewer women diagnosed with cancer during 2020 compared to 2019, while the number of male cancer diagnoses were down by 3,353, equivalent to 18%.
By the end of November last year, the number of weekly cancer diagnoses in Scotland had increased and was roughly in line with 2019 levels as the NHS remobilised.
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However, for much of the first wave from April to August, weekly diagnoses were often down by as much as 100 cases per week compared to 2019 levels.
There were reports of patients not presenting to GPs with symptoms, and routine screening programmes were halted for as much as seven months in the case of bowel cancer.
Ms Seymour, said: “While it’s good to see that the drop has reduced from the previous period, with cancer services starting to catch up when Covid cases were low, progress is nowhere near fast enough for those still to be diagnosed.”
The number of people on waiting lists for diagnostic tests, such CT scans, MRI, and scopes, had ballooned to nearly 101,000 by the end of 2020, up 15% year-on-year.
Endoscopies in particular had struggled, with 31,637 patients on waiting lists by the end of December - up 44.5% year-on-year - with one in five patients having waited between 39 and 52 weeks already.
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As part of its cancer redesign, the Scottish Government has set out plans to pilot 'one-stop-shop' diagnostic centres from Spring this year to enable patients to undergo multiple tests in a single appointment.
Kirsty Slack, public affairs manager in Scotland for Cancer Research UK, urged anyone worried about possible cancer symptoms to contact their GP without delay, describing the 17% drop in diagnoses as "very worrying".
She added: "In most cases it won’t be cancer but it’s best to get it checked out because early diagnosis can make all the difference.
“It’s essential measures that have been outlined in the Scottish Government’s National Cancer Recovery Plan are rolled out quickly to clear the backlog of those waiting for a diagnostic test.
"It’s also vital that the long-standing staff shortages which exist within cancer services are addressed as a priority to ensure they’re fit for the future.”
A spokesman for the Scottish Government said: “Cancer services have been, and will remain, a top priority.
"NHS Scotland remains on an emergency footing where health boards are seeing and treating patients based on their clinical urgency.
"We have made more than £77 million in funding available to boards to support elective activity in addition to £7m for endoscopy services.
"The Scottish Government has also provided six mobile scanners and three mobile CT scanners to support diagnostic services across Scotland.
“Throughout this period health boards have been working hard to ensure that vital care remains in place where clinically agreed, in line with the framework developed by our clinical advisors, and each board has also provided detailed plans for the recovery, remobilisation and redesign of key services through to March 2021.”
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