Coronavirus pandemic had “clear impact on cancer diagnosis and treatment”, new figures reveal
One-year survival rates for most cancer types decreased from 2019 to 2020, new figures have revealed.
The statistics highlight the impact the Covid-19 pandemic has had on cancer diagnosis and treatment.
The Welsh Cancer Intelligence Surveillance Unit (WCISU) at Public Health Wales has found that one-year survival for all cancers combined fell from 75.9 percent in 2019 to 71.6 percent in 2020.
Before the pandemic, one-year survival for all cancers combined increased from 66.2 percent in 2002 to its 2019 peak.
The five-year survival increased from 51.7 percent in 2002 to 63.0 percent in 2017.
The disruption caused by the pandemic is believed to be a significant factor in this decline.
Measures implemented to control the virus spread are thought to have led to delays in seeking healthcare, investigations, and certain treatments.
For all cancer types, survival decreases as the stage at diagnosis advances. This is evident in conditions like bowel cancer, where more than half of the diagnoses occur in the later stages three and four.
The data showed that five-year survival from bowel cancer did not improve before the pandemic, with stage four survival remaining below 10 percent between 2013 to 2019.
Meanwhile, stage three survival decreased slightly from 67 percent to 64 percent.
However, stage one bowel cancer survival rates were very high, albeit with a slight drop from 97 percent to 95 percent before the pandemic.
One significant development in this publication is WCISU’s improved methods to provide more accurate estimates across different levels of area deprivation.
A stark survival gap was observed in rectal cancer patients, with a 22.9 percentage point difference in five-year survival between the most and least deprived areas of Wales.
This gap has widened by approximately ten percentage points over the last decade.
Additionally, ten-year survival estimates have been produced for the first time.
For all cancers combined, this increased from 50.2 percent for cancers diagnosed between 2002 and 2006 to 58.9 percent for those diagnosed between 2012 and 2016.
Professor Dyfed Wyn Huws, Director of the Welsh Cancer Intelligence and Surveillance Unit at Public Health Wales, said: “The Covid-19 pandemic had a clear impact on cancer diagnosis and treatment in Wales particularly during the early stages of the pandemic when NHS services were redirected to deal with management of the outbreak.
“We also know that there was an understandable reluctance by many people to seek NHS Wales help in the wake of ‘Stay at Home’ messaging, particularly among older and shielding people.
“These factors would have affected cancer survival.
“It is important to seek advice from your GP regarding any symptoms you are concerned about as soon as possible.
“Our data shows the earlier cancer is diagnosed, the better a person’s chance of a better outcome.”
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