Cancer death spike looms as pandemic paranoia continues to grip the nation

Source: Cancer death spike looms as pandemic paranoia continues to grip the nation – Health Insurance & Protection

Extra research has come to light which adds even more weight to claims that there could be an additional 35,000 deaths in Britain over the next five years as people fail to spot the signs of cancer or are left on waiting lists as hospital capacity is set aside to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic.

Cancer charities said last month that “extra” cancer deaths – those above “normal”, expected rates – could soar.

The worrying statistic has come to light again as new figures reveal that there has been a 44% rise in people waiting for scans to diagnose the disease due to steps taken to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic.

A spokesman for law firm Bolt, Burdon & Kemp, which carried out the research, said the findings “shine a light” on how important it is not to delay important screening appointments.

The survey also suggests that 88% of Brits are unable to spot common cancer signs.

The majority of Brits are not able to identify the body parts associated with major cancers, including stomach (67%), liver (74%) and cervix (65%).
Only 12% of people were able to correctly identify the seven most common cancer symptoms

And almost two fifths (38%) of Brits do not know anything about lung, pancreatic, liver, brain, oesophageal and stomach cancer.

The survey comes as pressure grows on the Government to unlock more hospital capacity and take steps to encourage people to seek treatment in spite of ongoing concerns about the pandemic.