According to a new study, the pandemic has left a million cancer cases undiagnosed in Europe.

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2021-05-18 02:21:16

According to data published by the European Cancer Organisation (E.C.O) diagnoses are going unchecked because of the pandemic and the restrictions imposed.

"We desperately need urgent measures at the highest level of European policy to address the cancer backlog, restore confidence in cancer services and tackle workforce/supply shortages," Aapro said.

According to the study, up to 1 in 2 people with potential cancer symptoms were not urgently referred for diagnosis, and 1 in every 5 cancer patients in Europe is currently still not receiving the surgical or chemotherapy treatment they need.

Professor Mark Lawlor, a cancer researcher from Queen's University Belfast told Euronews that the research found millions of cancer screen tests have also been missed.

"We've also seen a significant loss of missing cancer screening tests. As many as 100 million have not been performed in Europe during the pandemic," Lawlor explained. "And what this can lead to is the actual stage of the diagnosis being delayed. And if the cancer is diagnosed at a later stage, then that means it's much more difficult to treat and there's much more of a risk of people dying from the disease. And we also found that one in five cancer patients in Europe are still not receiving the surgical or chemotherapy treatment that they need.

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