Thousands of new cancer cases could be going undetected each week as fewer people see GP

More than 2,200 new cancer cases could be going undetected each week as the Covid-19 crisis continues, a Cambridge charity has warned, dramatically impacting patients' chances of survival.

Cancer Research UK found the number of urgent referrals by GP have dropped to about 25% of usual levels. This is down to fewer people going to see their GP and also due to practitioners' reluctance to send patients to hospital due to the risk of Covid-19 infection, the charity said.

It said screening services have been formally paused in Scotland, Wales andNorthern Ireland and are "de facto" paused in England as no appointments are being made at screening hubs.

Previously, these services were screening around 200,000 people each week for diseases such as bowel, breast cancer and cervical cancer across the UK, picking up an average of 2,250 cases.

Cancer Research UK estimates the situation could jeopardise the recovery of thousands of people, as early-stage cancers are significantly easier to treat and that the numbers of new cases are stacking up each week.

Cancer Research UK is now calling on the NHS to develop a plan to dramatically ramp up screening services to deal with the backlog of cases once it is safe to do so.

The current situation is having a particular impact on the diagnosis of lungcancers - the most common cause of cancer death - for fear of spreading Covid-19 to healthcare staff, Cancer Research UK said.