Delays in cancer diagnosis: Covid fight not over yet
As health services continue to deal with the strain of the pandemic, delays in cancer diagnoses are on the rise. Consequently, the number of avoidable deaths caused by cancer has also risen.
At the peak of the pandemic, Pryers published an article on the initial impact Coronavirus had on cancer treatments [1]. Two years on, the same issues sadly persist. A person with cancer is inevitably a victim of Covid-19, whether they have caught the virus or not.
For many people, Covid-19 no longer causes fear in the way it once did. While it is still present in daily life, it oftentimes is out of mind.
Sadly, for those affected by delays in cancer diagnoses and treatments, the effects of Covid-19 persist.
During the pandemic and its various lockdowns, it became increasingly difficult to see a GP, or even get a telephone consultation. For hospitals it meant that fewer beds were available and referral waiting lists became longer and unmoving.
The pandemic and its strain on our health services meant that conditions such as cancer went undiagnosed. The inability to see patients and diagnose cancers in the first instance resulted in cancers being undiagnosed and left to metastasise. In certain cases, death could have been avoided had cancer been diagnosed sooner.
Tragically, this was the reality for a young adult from York.
A recent article in York Mix tells the story of young woman who sadly passed away from cancer, having received her diagnosis 13 months after first contacting her GP [2].
Her family believes that her death could have been avoided if her cancer had been diagnosed sooner.
Unfortunately, there are many more stories like this – and for the families and people left behind, the effects of the pandemic are far from over.
Last year, an oncology study sought to compare annual UK cancer mortality rates pre and post-pandemic [3]. The findings took into account the deaths within five years of diagnosis.
• Breast cancer: from 965 (pre-pandemic) to 1028 (post-pandemic)
• Lung cancer: from 18,443 (pre-pandemic) to 19,855 (post-pandemic)
• Colorectal cancer: from 5051 (pre-pandemic) to 6078 (post-pandemic)
• Oesophageal cancer: from 3656 (pre-pandemic) to 4034 (post-pandemic)
For these cancers alone, this amounts to an extra estimated 2880 lives lost compared to pre-pandemic figures; many of which perhaps avoidable if not for the pandemic.
Of course, delays caused by the pandemic have impacted diagnoses and treatments of many other medical conditions.
Fortunately for some, there are now certain measures in place to mitigate deterioration.
Set to launch in York is a new pain relief service. This service will be provided by Nimbuscare who currently provide care to 250,000 people across the York.
The revolutionary treatment helps patients with muscular and joint pains who, due to the pandemic, have suffered longer wait times for a hospital referral.
The way in which the service combats delays is by providing direct referrals to patients via Nimbuscare registered GP practices.
Pryers Solicitor, Angus Buchanan, explains the importance of cutting down a patient’s waiting time [4]. He says: “as lengthy waiting lists are extended even further due to pressure on elective services, patients should be mindful that certain conditions carry a risk of a deterioration. Such deterioration can result in permanent injury that would otherwise have been avoided with earlier treatment”.
Years of experience dealing with delays in cancer diagnoses
Pryers have several specialist Solicitors who regularly handle delayed cancer diagnosis claims and have recently achieved a settlement of £700,000 for a client, following a delay in melanoma diagnosis [5].
Pryers can help you
If you have suffered from delays in cancer diagnoses or treatments, Pryers could help you claim compensation.
Or, if you believe that the death of a loved one could have been avoided, we may be able to help you build a claim.
Please call us on 01904 556600 or email help@pryers.co.uk to find out if we can help you claim compensation on a no win, no fee basis.
[1] https://www.pryers.co.uk/news/coronavirus-creates-delays-to-cancer-treatment/
[2] https://yorkmix.com/anger-as-york-woman-dies-aged-19-after-waiting-more-than-a-year-to-see-a-gp/
[3] https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fonc.2021.675038/full