Up To 20,000 Prostate Cancer Diagnoses Missed in England Due to COVID Pandemic, Study Reveals

According to a new study, nearly 20,000 prostate cancer diagnoses could have been missed due to the pandemic.

Prostate Cancer Diagnoses Missed During Pandemic

The "During the COVID-19 pandemic 20 000 prostate cancer diagnoses were missed in England" study looked into the records of 24 million patients since 2020. It shows how the COVID pandemic devastatingly affected the detection of other killer conditions.

According to the researchers, the unprecedented disruption of cancer diagnoses could equate to tens of thousands of men missing on life-saving diagnoses.

The scientists looked into the incidence of prostate cancer from January 2015 to July 2023. They made use of a database that included 40% of the English people.

The researchers observed a 31% of prostate cancer diagnoses drop in 2020. There were 4,722 fewer diagnoses than expected. The year after saw an 18% drop, with 3,148 fewer diagnoses.

Though 2022 saw a return of the expected diagnoses rate, there were 7,940 fewer diagnoses in the two previous years. This implies 19,800 fewer cases if it were extrapolated throughout the country.

Such study estimates compared with previous estimates, amounting to 14,000 missed cases over the pandemic. It also found that prostate cancer mortality saw peaks during the two lockdowns that were more stringent.

In April 2020, mortality related to prostate cancer went from 5.5 to 8.5 per 100,000. A second peak was seen in January 2021, with a rate of 7.5 per 100,000.

Leading oncologist Professor Pat Price, who is also the chairman of the Radiotherapy charity, shares that the data is shocking and that it reveals the worsening situation pertaining to cancer. Professor Price adds that when the 20,000 men receive their diagnosis, their disease could be more advanced and may require even more treatment.

Leaders have not sufficiently heightened the capacity for cancer treatment as a response to such backlogs. Hence, more people may need to have longer waits just to receive cancer treatments. Professor Price notes that the Government must have a specialized cancer plan to aid with recovery, reduce waits for treatment, and save lives of patients.

Men With Prostate Cancer

The researchers also found that men who received their diagnosis in 2021 were six months older on average compared to those who got it pre-pandemic. This suggests a vital time that is lost in both treatment and diagnosis while the condition is spreading.

If prostate cancer is detected in the two earliest stages, the rates of survival are nearly 100%. However, for those who are treated at stage four, they sharply drop to roughly 50%.

Dr. Agnieszka Lemanska, a health data science lecturer from the University of Surrey, who is also the lead author of the study, explains that it is understandable that healthcare resources and attention were focused on the virus' prevention and management. This was detrimental to other health service areas, such as cancer care.

Dr. Lemanska explains that when it comes to improving outcomes and survival, early diagnosis of cancer is key. The doctor stresses that it is important to pick up such lessons from the pandemic. However, for this to be done, it is important to fully comprehend the scale of how diagnosis rates and services were affected during this period.

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