Fears of undiagnosed breast cancers in North Yorkshire as over 9,000 screenings appointments missed
9,050 people didn't attend or were unable to go to their screening appointment from April 2020 to March 2021
Over 9,000 breast screening appointments were missed across North Yorkshire and York due to the pandemic.
Health officials are calling for people who missed appointments to rebook them, as a charity warns hundreds across Yorkshire could have an undiagnosed cancer.
It's as statistics from Yorkshire Cancer Research found 9,050 appointments were missed from April 2020 to March 2021 across North Yorkshire and York - a huge drop on previous years.
There were 4,850 missed across North Yorkshire Clinical Commissioning Group and 4,200 under Vale of York Clinical Commissioning Group.
The statistics also revealed 60,000 fewer mammograms took place in Yorkshire during the first year of the coronavirus pandemic.
Amy Deptford, Policy Officer at Yorkshire Cancer Research, said:
"Recent analysis by Yorkshire Cancer Research has found that there were 60,000 fewer breast screenings that took place in Yorkshire during the first year of the coronavirus pandemic, and what this means is that more than 500 people in Yorkshire may have missed out on their breast cancer diagnosis or be diagnosed later than they would have been had they been screened on time.
"The reason why breast screening is so important is because it finds breast cancer at an early stage, often when it's too small to see or feel and nearly all breast cancers are found early through screening and the reason why early diagnosis is so important is because the earlier that cancer is found, the more likely it is to be treated successfully.
_"B_reast cancer screening services were paused to protect people from the virus and they were also pause to allow for health care professionals to focus on the pandemic and then once breast cancer screening services resumed there were longer wait times than usual for letters and appointments to be made.
"There are measures that are being taken to increase the breast cancer screening uptakes across the region such as additional breast cancer screening vans that are being introduced to some areas of Yorkshire. Yorkshire Cancer Research funding various programs to help increase screening participation in local communities and Yorkshire, and we are also calling for the government to commit over £200 million over the next three years to grow key cancer professions as well as investing in better equipment to improve early diagnosis for cancer."
In the 10 years prior to the pandemic, screening rates remained relatively stable, with 7 in 10 of those eligible aged 50-70 up to date with their breast screening.
But numbers plummeted while screening services were paused to protect people from Covid-19 and to allow healthcare professionals to focus on tackling the pandemic. Screening resumed in summer 2020 and since then some people may have experienced longer waits than usual for an appointment or invitation. Some people were also put off attending appointments due to fear of catching Covid-19.
The percentage of eligible women screened dropped from 71% to 62%, meaning 61,800 fewer screenings took place.
The breast screening programme finds eight cancers in every 1,000 people screened, which means more than 500 people in Yorkshire may have missed out on a diagnosis, or have been diagnosed at a later stage than they might have been if they had been screened.
Breast screening is designed to find cancer at an early stage when it is too small to see or feel. Finding cancers early mean treatment options are greater and there is a better chance of survival.
Dr Stuart Griffiths, Director of Research, Services and Policy at Yorkshire Cancer Research, said:
“It is extremely concerning that so many screenings were missed during the first year of the pandemic. Work has begun to start clearing the huge backlog that now exists, but there is a long way to go.
“The figures mean that hundreds of women may be living with a cancer that is yet to be found. The worst-case scenario is that these people are diagnosed with cancer as an emergency, when treatment options are more limited. It is essential that people come forward for screening when invited and contact their local breast screening service if they think they are due a screening or have delayed their appointment.”
About 4,300 breast cancers are diagnosed in Yorkshire every year, and a third of these cases are diagnosed through screening. Nearly all cancers diagnosed through screening (95%) are found at an early stage, and more than 9 in 10 women diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer survive for at least five years after diagnosis.
Additional screening vans have been introduced in some areas of Yorkshire to help increase the number of screening appointments available, and safety precautions to protect those taking part from Covid-19 have been in place since screening services were re-introduced in summer 2020.
Yorkshire Cancer Research is funding programmes in partnership with the NHS and local authorities to raise awareness of the importance of breast screening and increase participation, focusing on communities where attendance is low.
But the charity is also calling for more investment by the government to ensure years of progress made to improve breast cancer survival is not stalled.
Dr Griffiths continued:
“While the NHS has been working hard to try to find the cancers that were missed during the first wave of the pandemic, services are under considerable strain. It will take time to clear the backlog and sadly, we are likely to see a decline in the number of women surviving breast cancer.
“The government has committed funding for better equipment to improve early diagnosis for cancer, and we want them to stick to this commitment and deliver on it. However, this investment will not achieve the desired outcome unless it is met with an increase in the cancer workforce.
“This is why we, alongside many other cancer charities, are calling on Government to commit £216m across the next three years to grow key cancer professions. We also need reassurance that screening services will continue to be protected as the pandemic develops.”
Breast screening is available to some trans and non-binary people. People who think they should have breast screening but are not invited automatically should talk to their GP surgery or call the local breast screening service to ask for an appointment.