New data has shown for the first time the true impact that the coronavirus pandemic had on the diagnosis of cancer. There was a huge fall in the number of people being given diagnosis for the leading cancers in Wales during the early months of 2020.
The data, which looks at the five more common cancers, showed there was a decrease of up to 25% in the number of people given cancer diagnosis compared to the previous year as the NHS paused screening programmes and many people stopped seeking help for any potential symptoms due to the "stay at home" message.
Cancer diagnoses and the efficacy of cancer treatment relies on it being a timely diagnosis. There is a greater chance of survival if cancer is caught early, so any delay and pause in diagnosis caused by the pandemic very likely has had a huge impact on a person's ability to make a recovery from the disease.
