Approximately 20,000 prostate cancer diagnoses will be missed due to coronavirus pandemic

almost 20,000 Diagnosis of prostate cancer Research suggests it may have been overlooked during the pandemic.

The University of Surrey and Oxford University research, which analyzed 24 million patient records since 2020, shows the devastating impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the detection of other major deadly diseases.

Researchers said there was an “unprecedented disruption” in cancer diagnosis. Fewer urgent referrals Tens of thousands of men may be missing out on potentially life-saving diagnoses due to GP consultations, long waiting times and difficulty accessing treatment.

scientist Analyzed prostate cancer We analyzed incidence rates from January 2015 to July 2023 using a database covering 40% of the UK population.

They found that prostate cancer diagnoses decreased by 31 percent in 2020, with 4,722 fewer diagnoses than expected.

The following year, the number of diagnoses was 3,148 fewer than usual, an 18% decrease.

In 2022, the diagnosis rate returned to expected levels, but as a result, the diagnosis rate decreased by 7,940 people. Diagnosed in the past 2 years – Estimated nationwide, this would mean a decrease of 19,800 infections.

The study's estimates, published in BJU International (formerly known as the British Society of Urology), compare with an earlier estimate of 14,000 missed diagnoses during the pandemic.

Another study showed that mortality rates for men with prostate cancer tripled during the first year of the pandemic.

Professor Pat Price, a leading oncologist and chairman of the charity Radiotherapy UK, said: 'This is shocking data and shows the worsening situation in cancer that we have been warning about.

“Sadly, by the time these 20,000 men are finally diagnosed, they may have more advanced disease and require further treatment.

“More and more people will have to wait longer for cancer treatment because NHS leaders have not sufficiently increased cancer treatment capacity to meet the backlog.

“Sadly, it doesn't have to be this way. The government needs a dedicated cancer plan to support this recovery, reduce waiting times for treatment and save lives.”

The study also identified a peak in prostate cancer mortality during the two strictest lockdowns.

In April 2020, the prostate cancer-related death rate rose from 5.5 to 8.5 per 100,000 men, and reached a second peak in January 2021 at 7.5 per 100,000 men.

6 months older

The study also found that men diagnosed with the disease in 2021 were on average about six months older than men before the pandemic, making diagnosis and treatment more difficult during the spread of the disease. It suggests that time has been lost.

If prostate cancer is detected in the first two stages, the survival rate is close to 100%.

But for people treated at stage 4, that rate drops to about 50%.

Lead author Dr Agnieszka Lemanska, Senior Lecturer in Healthcare Data Science at the University of Surrey, said:

“This has hurt other areas of the health service, including cancer care.

She said: “Early diagnosis of cancer is key to improving cancer-related outcomes and long-term survival. It is important that we learn lessons from the pandemic. We need to fully understand how we were affected.”

Another study showed that mortality rates for men with prostate cancer tripled during the first year of the pandemic.

The figures show that there were about 5,000 more deaths among men from prostate cancer during the pandemic, at a time when the number of prostate cancer diagnoses was declining. Researchers say the new coronavirus was responsible for only about 1,000 cases.

A study of NHS hospital data by the British Prostate Cancer Charity has uncovered surprising changes in the diagnosis and treatment of the disease, with cases now being detected much later in life when the disease is difficult to treat.

An international study found that in the first year of the pandemic, cancer surgeries fell more in the UK than almost anywhere else in Western Europe. In total, the number of prostate cancer surgeries decreased by more than 40% in 2020, compared to the OECD average of 16.6%.

Research from the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) shows that efforts to “protect the NHS” from coronavirus have led to a far greater reduction in cancer surgeries than in other countries.

The international study, which compared 25 OECD countries, looked at four common procedures for treating cancer and other health conditions in 2019 and 2020. The UK has shown reductions in the level of their respective surgeries on a scale not seen in most other countries in Western Europe. .

Many routine surgeries were canceled during the early stages of the pandemic, and cancer patients were among those who underwent surgery.

Access to general practitioner care

Meanwhile, difficulties in accessing GPs are accelerating delays in diagnosis, meaning thousands more patients are now coming forward, often at a much later stage of the disease.

Chiara de Beers, from Prostate Cancer UK, said: “The pandemic has posed huge challenges to the NHS and all of us. As this important study outlines, one of the major consequences is that… Thousands of men did not come forward for prostate cancer testing.

“To find these men, we launched a major campaign with the NHS in 2022 to create an online risk checker that allows men to quickly find out their risk of developing prostate cancer and what they can do about it.

“Risk Checker has now been used over two million times and referral rates across the UK have risen above pre-pandemic levels.”

An NHS spokesperson said: “The number of people coming forward for cancer screening has fallen during the pandemic, but the NHS has worked hard to encourage people to get tested for cancer, based on recent data. “The total number of men diagnosed with prostate cancer since March 2020 now exceeds that number.” This is the number expected to be diagnosed during this period.

“The NHS is seeing and treating record numbers of cancer patients. It's important that anyone who is concerned about unusual symptoms comes forward. Getting tested early can save lives.”

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “We are committed to improving outcomes for prostate cancer and in November we partnered with Prostate Cancer Society UK to announce a £42m investment to find ways to detect it earlier. We have announced a screening test.”

“The NHS has seen and treated record numbers of cancer patients over the past two years, cancer is often diagnosed at an earlier stage, and almost all types of cancer, including prostate cancer, are alive and well. rate is improving.

“We are investing £2.3 billion in faster diagnosis, launching 154 regional diagnostic centers across England and building on our progress through our upcoming Key Symptoms Strategy.”