The pandemic has impacted the treatment and outlook of lung cancer patients, a report by the NI Cancer Registry shows.
The number of surgeries fell by 40%, affecting an estimated 52 patients, while radiation therapy fell by 27%.
While lung cancer numbers have increased year on year, there has been a decrease during the lockdown.
People concerned about symptoms that include a persistent cough or coughing up blood are urged to seek professional help.
In Northern Ireland, 1,316 new cases of lung cancer were diagnosed in 2020 – down 77 cases from the previous year.
According to the Northern Ireland Cancer Registry report, the drop occurred between April and December 2020 as Covid-19 affected the population and cancer services.
dr Anna Gavin, who helped draft the report, said the number of reported patients “may have been reduced by the stay-at-home notifications and rebalancing of health services”.
There were additional difficulties as the symptoms of lung cancer are similar to those of Covid.
In addition, Covid patients were cared for in intensive care beds that were unavailable for routine care.
The report stressed the services had “made great strides in recovery.”
During lockdown in April 2020, there was a 35% drop in diagnosed lung cancer cases compared to the average of the previous two years – 37 cases in April 2019 and 58 in 2018.
The impact of the pandemic on patient care is clear – 952 cases were diagnosed between April and December 2020.
However, in these patients, surgery decreased by 40%, affecting an estimated 52 patients.
Chemotherapy was reduced by 7%, affecting 18 patients, while radiotherapy was reduced by 27%, affecting an estimated 92 patients.
About 40 men and women – an 8% increase from previous years – received no treatment.
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dr Wendy Anderson is the Northern Ireland Spokesperson for the UK Lung Cancer Coalition.
She described the numbers as “worrying” but said they were not unexpected.
dr Anderson said it is more difficult to diagnose lung cancer in the middle of a Covid pandemic because some of the symptoms are similar.
“If you have a new cough or a changed cough for two or three weeks that you don’t have a reason for, you need to talk to your GP,” she said.
“Likewise, if you’re coughing up blood, and that’s especially true for people over 50 and especially smokers — it’s true for women and men alike.”
Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide, with 2.1 million diagnoses in 2020 and 1.8 million deaths.
It is also the leading cause of cancer deaths in the UK, killing more than 35,000 people a year – around a fifth of all cancer deaths in the UK.
Experts say the most dangerous thing about lung cancer is that patients often have no symptoms until it’s too late to be cured.
Source: Cancer Research UK
There are usually no signs or symptoms in the early stages of lung cancer, but they develop as the condition worsens.
The main symptoms of lung cancer include a cough that does not go away after two or three weeks and gets worse, recurring chest infections, pain when breathing or coughing, and persistent shortness of breath and fatigue.
Source: NHS
The number of people presenting late with cancer also increased.
Between 2018-2019 and 2020, the number of cases diagnosed in stage 4 increased by 4% from 439 cases to 456 – a significant increase, according to the report.
Those living in disadvantaged areas were hit harder.
Between 2018-2019 and 2020, the number of cases among residents of the least favored areas fell by 22% from 162 to 127.
Other symptoms associated with lung cancer include unexplained weight loss, a new lump, a change in bowel habits, difficulty swallowing, and blood in your urine or feces.
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