Almost 20,000 diagnoses of prostate cancer may have been missed during the pandemic, according to research by the University of Surrey and the University of Oxford. The study, which analyzed 24 million patient records since 2020, highlights the devastating impact of the Covid pandemic on the detection of major killer diseases.

The research revealed a 31% drop in diagnoses of prostate cancer in the UK in 2020, with 4,722 fewer diagnoses than expected. The following year saw a further 3,148 fewer diagnoses than normal, representing an 18% drop. Extrapolated across the country, this equates to 19,800 fewer cases over the previous two years.

Prof Pat Price, a leading oncologist and chairman of the charity Radiotherapy UK, expressed concern about the situation, stating, ‘This is shocking data and shows the worsening situation we have been warning about in cancer. Sadly, when these 20,000 men are eventually diagnosed, they could have more advanced disease and need more treatment.’

Furthermore, separate research has indicated that death rates among men with prostate cancer tripled during the first year of the pandemic. The study also identified peaks in mortality from prostate cancer during the two most stringent lockdowns, with mortality rates reaching 8.5 per 100,000 in April 2020 and 7.5 per 100,000 in January 2021.

The findings underscore the urgent need for a dedicated cancer plan to aid in the recovery, reduce treatment waits, and ultimately save lives. Prof Pat Price emphasized the necessity for increased cancer treatment capacity to address backlogs and minimize treatment delays.

It is clear that the Covid pandemic has had a significant impact on the detection and treatment of prostate cancer, and urgent action is needed to mitigate the long-term consequences of missed diagnoses and delayed treatments.