ALMOST one million cancer cases in Europe have been missed due to the Covid-19 pandemic, a new study has revealed.
The dramatic drop in testing for the disease meant that one in five patients are still not receiving the surgical or chemotherapy treatment that they need.
The findings are published today by the European Cancer Organisation (ECO) Special Network on Covid-19 and Cancer, which is co-chaired by Professor Mark Lawler of Queens University Belfast.
As the largest multi-professional cancer organisation in Europe, its members are calling on government leaders to urgently tackle the crisis.
Researchers leading the study also estimate that 100 million screening tests were not performed in Europe during the pandemic, resulting in later stage diagnoses and potential decreased overall survival.
They discovered that one in two people with suspected symptoms were not urgently referred for diagnosis.
Professor Lawler, who heads up digital health at Queen's and is scientific director of 'DATA-CAN', the UK’s Health Data Research Hub for Cancer, said the scale of the problem is frightening.
"The disastrous impact of Covid-19 has meant that there are at least one million Europeans out there with a cancer that has not yet been diagnosed, and a further one in five of European cancer patients whose treatment has been delayed," he said.
"We issue this urgent call to national governments across Europe. The time to act is now. Without immediate action, the Covid-19 pandemic is poised to spark a cancer epidemic across Europe. We require innovative solutions to strengthen cancer systems and provide the best possible care to cancer patients in the United Kingdom and across Europe."
The study's findings are available in more than 30 languages and will be presented in a virtual event tomorrow with contributions from European political leaders including EU Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides, MEPs from the European Parliament’s Special Committee on Beating Cancer (BECA).
Their release is part of the ECO's 'Time to Act' campaign and reaffirms their mission to "support healthcare professionals in their commitment to deliver optimal care for the benefit of patients".
