Cancer detection fell in Scotland during pandemic

About 1,600 fewer people than expected were diagnosed with the three most common cancers during the first nine months of the Covid pandemic.

Public Health Scotland (PHS) has attempted to work out how restrictions put in place at the start of coronavirus affected diagnosis of the disease. The statistics show that breast cancer diagnosis was down by 19%, bowel cancer by 25% and lung cancer by 9%.

The data also showed cancer was not being diagnosed at the earliest stages. This is when treatment is most successful.

Cancer Research UK called for urgent action to prevent progress on cancer survival going backwards.

David Ferguson, from Cancer Research UK in Scotland, said the PHS report reinforced fears that opportunities to diagnose cancer at an early stage were missed during the pandemic.

He said: "Urgent action is needed. Cancer survival wasn't good enough before the pandemic. Too many people are waiting far too long for diagnosis and treatment so this must be addressed."

He called for a "road map" to tackle staff shortages and backlogs.

"If swift action isn't taken, our fear is that cancer survival in Scotland could go backwards," he said.

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Source: BBC News, 3 November 2021