SPECIAL REPORT: Fears COVID-19 pandemic is leading to 'worst cancer crisis in a lifetime'

For the last few months the world's attention has been on one of the most deadly viruses to have ever swept the planet.

But as the country fights one health crisis, health experts are warning another health crisis has been unfolding that is just as deadly.

Since lockdown began, we can reveal approximately 38,000 cancer treatments that would have taken place in that time haven't gone ahead.

That's according to new figures from Cancer Research UK.

The charity tells us in a typical year, approximately 46,000 thousand people in the North West will be diagnosed with cancer.

Delays to treatment is now causing alarm for cancer specialists and charities, who fear if services don't urgently restart many more lives will be lost.

'The longer they leave it, the more people are going to die'

National guidelines state that urgent and essential cancer treatments must continue.

But Cancer Research say "the impact of COVID-19 has been felt in cancer wards across the country, with surgery worst hit."

It's estimated around 12,750 people are waiting for cancer surgery, with the number of operations falling to around 60% of expected levels at the height of lockdown.

Some experts are branding the delay of treatment a "disaster".

Professor Patricia Price is an oncologist from Wilmslow in Cheshire, and is currently working with Imperial College London: "This is the worst cancer crisis in my lifetime.

"We have never halted cancer services.

"There are some estimates where they think cure rates will be back where they were 20 years ago. It's a disaster.

"It's as big a crisis as the Covid crisis in terms of health."

Professor Price is among those calling for more effort to be placed on getting cancer services back up an running, including boosting services like radiotherapy that can be used as a substitute to some treatments like chemotherapy.

She tells us what needs to be done is "staring everybody in the face, but they don't seem to be doing it."

"The longer they leave it, the more people are going to die."

Kelly's story: 'I'm not ready to go yet'

One family from Macclesfield had to witness first-hand the devastating impact COVID-19 has had on cancer services in the UK.

Kelly Smith, 31, was receiving treatment for stage 4 bowel cancer - but it all came to a halt because of the global pandemic.

She sadly died on June 13th - leaving behind her 6-year-old son.

Kelly had been fighting the disease for just over 3 years and had restarted chemotherapy just before lockdown, something her dad Craig Russell tells us was giving her extra precious time.

"The chemotherapy was keeping her alive, so to stop that because she may have caught something else that could have killed her... to me the greatest risk was stopping the chemotherapy.

"She was very, very scared. She was scared and frightened because of her son.

"She used to say I'm not ready to go yet - I need to spend more time with him."

Craig says no one should have to see their loved one deteriorate, especially when treatments are available.

He believes she was robbed of time and that her life was cruelly cut short.

"It was buying her time. At the very minimum she would have months more with us, with her son. She was if nothing else an absolute fighter when it came to this."

Scientists believe there could be up to 35,000 additional cancer deaths because of delays to treatment and diagnosis.

Craig, along with his wife Mandy, want to make sure other families don't have to suffer the same heartache.

They've set up a petition 'Catch Up With Cancer - which is calling for treatments to urgently restart.

It's already topped 200,000 signatures and has the backing of dozens of cross-party MPs.

You can support their campaign here.

Why have some treatments been delayed?

Explaining why treatments might have been delayed Cancer Research UK say whilst some of it is due to the pressures facing the NHS, some treatments were delayed because of how vulnerable people with cancer are to coronavirus.

The coronavirus causes an illness called COVID-19 which can affects lungs and airways. Experts say for some people with cancer, the virus can have serious complications, because cancer and treatment can weaken immune systems.

Cancer Research advise talking to your health care team about the effect of the coronavirus outbreak on your treatment plan.

Follow #CheckItOut as we investigate the effects of this across the week.

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