Four-week cancer treatment delay raises death risk by 10% – study

Concern for NHS cancer patients after record numbers miss treatment due to pandemic

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Delaying cancer treatment by just four weeks increases the risk of death by up to 10%, according to new research that shows the devastating impact of missed NHS treatment targets due to Covid.

Earlier this year, Dr Ajay Aggarwal at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine estimated that diagnostic delays caused by lockdown measures and changes to patient behaviour as a result of Covid-19 would result in 3,500 avoidable deaths from breast, lung, oesophageal or bowel cancer in England over the next five years. However, the impact of delaying treatment for patients with an existing cancer diagnosis was unclear.