From the Daily Telegraph. If there's one thing we've learned in this, it's to take estimates and numbers with a huge grain of salt, but the underlying concept is still pretty sobering. And they're not even estimating delayed diagnosis of or untreated heart disease, heart attacks, or strokes:
Nearly 20,000 more patients could die from cancer in the next year because of a lack of treatment during the coronavirus crisis, a new forecast shows.
The major study – the first to project the extra death toll from cancer across the country – came as NHS chiefs urged anyone with worrying symptoms to seek help.
Charities said the projections were "devastating" and urged the Government to act quickly to prevent the situation deteriorating.
The study shows that on average attendance for chemotherapy has fallen by 60 per cent, with a 76 per cent drop in urgent referrals of suspected cancer. As a result, forecasts by University College London suggest the annual death toll from cancer will soar by around a fifth.
Researchers tracked real-time data from eight major trusts in England and Northern Ireland, and the records of 3.5 million patients, to examine patterns in cancer care since the epidemic took hold. They said the trends suggest the total cancer death toll could rise from 89,576 to 107,491 in just one year.
The forecasts indicate that more than 6,000 of the extra deaths will be among newly diagnosed cancer patients as a result of delays accessing care.
Health chiefs are concerned that patients with possible symptoms of cancer are not contacting their GP, fearing they will place too great a burden on the NHS or put themselves at risk of coronavirus.
The major study – the first to project the extra death toll from cancer across the country – came as NHS chiefs urged anyone with worrying symptoms to seek help.
Charities said the projections were "devastating" and urged the Government to act quickly to prevent the situation deteriorating.
The study shows that on average attendance for chemotherapy has fallen by 60 per cent, with a 76 per cent drop in urgent referrals of suspected cancer. As a result, forecasts by University College London suggest the annual death toll from cancer will soar by around a fifth.
Researchers tracked real-time data from eight major trusts in England and Northern Ireland, and the records of 3.5 million patients, to examine patterns in cancer care since the epidemic took hold. They said the trends suggest the total cancer death toll could rise from 89,576 to 107,491 in just one year.
The forecasts indicate that more than 6,000 of the extra deaths will be among newly diagnosed cancer patients as a result of delays accessing care.
Health chiefs are concerned that patients with possible symptoms of cancer are not contacting their GP, fearing they will place too great a burden on the NHS or put themselves at risk of coronavirus.
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