Cancer survivor urges people not to ignore symptoms of the disease during coronavirus crisis
A cancer survivor is urging people to seek medical advice and not to ignore symptoms if they suspect they have the disease.
Liz Gooch was diagnosed with breast cancer five years ago and she says not putting off seeing her doctor, saved her life.
The Wales Cancer Alliance echo that warning as many GPs in Wales report a drop in the number of people who are seeing them with suspected cancer symptoms since the coronavirus outbreak.
Clinicians are reporting a 75% decrease in urgent cancer referrals in Wales since the pandemic started.
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Liz Gooch from south Wales was diagnosed with breast cancer five years ago after she found a lump on her breast. At first she was hesitant to visit her GP, as she admittedly "thought there's nothing wrong with me, I'm fine."
But after one week Ms Gooch made the decision to see her doctor, which she says ultimately saved her life.
Doctors then found that Ms Gooch had a faulty BRCA1 gene, a gene which in women, puts them at greater risk of developing breast and ovarian cancers.
Cancer Research UK say faulty BRCA1 genes are rare but around 70% of women who have faults in one of their BRCA genes will develop breast cancer by the time they are 80 years old.
Ms Gooch went on to have six rounds of chemotherapy, a double mastectomy and reconstruction as well as making the difficult decision to have her ovaries removed.
Now fully recovered and cancer-free, she knows the importance of getting symptoms checked as soon as possible even if you think the chances of it being cancerous are slim.
She is urging people not to let their fears surrounding catching coronavirus negatively impact their health in other ways by not seeking out medical advice.
Wales' leading cancer charities say people should go to their GP if they detect changes to their body, unexplained lumps or bleeding and coughs which do not go away after three weeks.
GP and Macmillan GP Advisor Elise Lang said: "In general practice we are working hard to adapt our usual processes in order to keep our patients Covid-19 free.
"We are definitely still working but we are working in a new way.
"We ask that you stay home and stay safe but seeing your primary care team may be an essential journey."
Many GP surgeries are now offering appointments over the phone or virtually, which can be accessed easily and securely on a smartphone through a link.
When people need to be seen in person, GP staff may be wearing personal protective equipment to maintain safety.
Richard Pugh, Chair of the Wales Cancer Alliance and Head of Partnerships for Macmillan Cancer Support in Wales, said: "While these are exceptional circumstances, speedy diagnosis of cancer continues to be of utmost importance.
"We want people to know their GP surgery is open and staff want to hear from them if they have any symptoms."
The Wales Cancer Alliance is a coalition of 20 charities working together to prevent cancer, improve care, fund research and influence policy in Wales.
It's not just GP visits that have decreased in number, ambulance arrivals at A&E are also down. On April 16, the Chief Executive of NHS Wales emphasised that emergency care "is still open and accessible."
New stricter stay-at-home regulations came into force in Wales on Saturday 25. First Minister, Mark Drakeford, announced "some small changes" to the regulations but the overall advice remains to stay at home unless leaving is essential - like for medical purposes.
One of these includes a change from the requirement not to leave where you live, to a requirement not to leave or remain away from that place.
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