A leading surgeon fears more cancer patients will die because they are delaying reporting their symptoms during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Urologist Ben Eddy has seen an alarming drop in the number of people seeking treatment across east Kent .

And he fears it is because they are concerned about burdening the health service or coming into hospital and catching Covid-19.

Shocking figures reveal that during the pandemic the number of cancer referrals at one Kent hospital trust has plummeted by 4,000 year on year.

The consultant, who has pioneered robotic surgery at the Kent and Canterbury Hospital, says many are people leaving it too late to give themselves the best chance of surviving the disease.

“I am very concerned because delaying a diagnosis and treatment for two or three months with some cancers can seriously affect survival rates,” he said.

“Unfortunately, we now have some patients whose chances of being cured have been impacted because of the progression of the disease.”

Estimates suggest about 350,000 fewer patients across the UK have been referred for an urgent cancer investigation since the pandemic began.

Mr Eddy says his urology department would normally expect to see about 95 new patients a week from across east Kent, many with symptoms indicative of potential prostate, bladder or kidney cancer.

But that figure dropped to as low as 20 at the peek of the pandemic and has still not fully recovered.

“There was a huge drop in the number of referrals and critical time has been lost for some,” he said.

“We also had to delay surgery for some patients whose illnesses have not been so time-critical, but that has nonetheless been hugely stressful for them.”

Mr Eddy says other specialists in bowel, breast and lung cancers are also reporting a similar picture.

“We want people to know that we are very much back in business now and I am urging anyone with any symptoms they are concerned about to go and see their GPs,” he said.

“The hospital is very Covid-safe with relatively few cases in the community. But, of course, it has been an extremely difficult balancing act because Covid has been devastating and tragic for some, even from our own hospital community.”

4,000 fewer cancer referrals

More than 4,000 fewer patients were referred to East Kent Hospitals for suspected cancer between January and August than in the same period last year.

The trust runs the Kent and Canterbury, as well as the William Harvey in Ashford and QEQM in Margate .

The figures show a 15% drop in referrals for all types of cancer – and although weekly referrals are now just 2% down on the same period last year, staff are still concerned there are patients who are not coming forward.

More than 1,000 fewer patients were referred for tests for breast cancer, while more than 750 fewer people were seen with suspected skin cancer – drops of 18% and 14% respectively on the year before.

Referrals for gynaecological cancers and head and neck cancer both dropped by 19%, with 461 and 588 fewer patients seen this year. Lung cancer referrals dropped by 7%, or 673 patients.

“Our message is clear – if you have symptoms you are concerned about, please speak to your GP."

Sarah Collins, the Trust’s operations director for cancer, said: “Our staff have worked very hard to keep services running for cancer patients throughout the pandemic, and thanks to the support of local independent hospitals we have been able to continue with urgent cancer operations.

“The teams have been supporting patients to encourage them to come for diagnostics and treatments, and help them feel comfortable attending a hospital during the pandemic.

“Although we are now seeing around the same number of referrals as last year, there has not been the increase we would expect to account for those who didn’t come forward during lockdown.

“Our message is clear – if you have symptoms you are concerned about, please speak to your GP. We are all here to help and we have systems in place to make our hospitals as safe as they can be.

“We are only seeing very low numbers of patients with coronavirus, so it’s important people are not put off coming to hospital because they are worried about the infection.”

Almost 1,900 patients had cancer operations at East Kent Hospitals in the first eight months of this year, despite the impact on the trust of the coronavirus pandemic.

Staff were able to continue treating people with cancer throughout lockdown, with most operations taking place at local independent hospitals, including the Chaucer, Benenden, One Ashford and Spencer Hospitals.

More complicated procedures were carried out at the Kent and Canterbury Hospital, with staff from departments such as orthopaedics redeployed to care for cancer patients.

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