Thousands of breast cancer cases are missed because of Covid-19

UK Breast Cancer Now data show 8,600 women could not detect breast cancer due to delay in screening during the pandemic.

A total of nearly a million women have missed out on routine mammograms because testing programs were halted in the midst of a blockade in March. Many hospitals and health facilities focus on treating people. nCoV contamination.

Health Service Journal data showed that more than 6,000 patients referred for screening had to wait more than 3 months. In mid-September, about 6,400 people have been delayed from testing or treating all types of cancer for more than 100 days. The National Health Service (NHS) is facing a series of backlog from times of social disengagement.

According to research by Breast Cancer Now, about 8,600 women may be living with breast cancer without knowing. Usually, the disease is detected through screening.

Baroness Delyth Morgan, the organization's chief executive, said the findings were "of concern". She argued that the NHS should not stop any testing during the second Covid-19 wave.

"Nearly a million women across the UK are waiting to be screened for breast cancer, posing a serious threat," she said. "We understand that the mammogram was suspended due to the pandemic, but now we have to restart all of it, making sure women have access to the screening."

 

A woman is screened for breast cancer in Peru. Photo: Reuters

The health system's constraint is funding and human resources to meet outstanding needs. Mary Wilson, mammography consultant at Nightingale Center, Wythenshawe Hospital, said: "We need not only to stay as productive as we have before the pandemic, we also have to keep up with the situation with the TB force. This is the big challenge that lies ahead. "

According to Globalcan data, each year, the UK records more than 400,000 new cases of breast cancer, more than 100,000 deaths. It is the second most common cancer in the country, accounting for more than 26% in women and 12.4% in men.

Breast cancer is a malignant breast tumor, most of which originate in the ducts, a small portion develops in the milk sac or lobe. If detected and treated late, it can spread to bones and other organs. Signs of breast cancer include chest pain, change in skin color and nature, swelling or lymph nodes, back and neck pain, etc.