10 Stats: Lockdown Impacts on Cancers

Time will tell what impact the vaccines will have on cancers but the lockdowns were unforgivable and the impact on cancers is undeniable. Here are just 10 stats with supporting links:

1. Delayed cancer diagnoses: 1.5 million people in the UK missed out on urgent cancer referrals between March and October 2020 (Source: https://www.bmj.com/content/370/bmj.m3038)

2. Disrupted cancer treatments: 40% of cancer patients in the UK experienced treatment delays during the first wave of the pandemic (Source: https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-us/cancer-news/news-report/2020-05-28-survey-suggests-2-in-4-cancer-patients-have-had-treatment-affected-by-covid-19)

3. Clinical trial disruptions: 60% of cancer clinical trials were suspended or delayed due to COVID-19 (Source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7271824/)

4. Increased mental health issues: 70% of cancer patients reported increased anxiety and depression during the pandemic (Source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7361333/)

5. Global impact: 50% reduction in cancer surgeries, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy treatments in low- and middle-income countries during the pandemic (Source: https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanonc/article/PIIS1470-2045(20)30392-2/fulltext)

6. Breast cancer screenings dropped 89 percent (Source: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2766943)

7. Colorectal screenings dropped 85 percent (Source: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2766943)

8. Projected increase in cancer deaths over the next 5 years: up to 16.6 percent increase in colorectal cancer deaths, 9.5 percent increase in breast cancer deaths, and 5.4 percent increase in lung cancer deaths (Source: https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanonc/article/PIIS1470-2045(20)30388-0/fulltext)

9. 75 percent decrease in suspected cancer referrals in the UK (Source: https://www.bmj.com/content/369/bmj.m2386)

10. By mid-October 2020, 3 million people in the UK had missed out on cancer screenings since the start of the pandemic (Source: https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/cancer-in-general/coronavirus/cancer-services)