Thousands with breast cancer fearing they could die more quickly due to coronavirus crisis, leading charity warns

'I do really worry what may happen if the risk of coronavirus continues and I need to stay off the treatment for even longer. Everything just feels so out of my control at the moment, which is really difficult,' says patient

The charity discovered a substantial quantity of secondary breast cancer patients had seen their chemotherapy or targeted therapy changed or temporarily shelved to boost their immune systems (iStock)

Thousands of women who have incurable breast cancer are suffering from acute anxiety their lives could be needlessly cut short due to the coronavirus pandemic disrupting treatment, a leading charity has warned.

Breast Cancer Now said patients are fearful they may die sooner than they should due to having surgery and clinical trials cancelled, struggling to get their hands on drugs such as hormone therapy, and experiencing delays to treatment and scans.

The charity, which polled over 580 people affected by breast cancer in Britain, discovered a substantial quantity of secondary breast cancer patients had seen their chemotherapy or targeted therapy changed or temporarily shelved to improve their immune systems.

Campaigners noted this is resulting in them going weeks or even months without receiving treatment, which had been helping to ensure their cancer did not worsen.

Breast Cancer Now's Ask Our Nurses service experienced a 60 per cent increase in March this year - with patients anxious about how the Covid-19 emergency affects them.

Joanne Addis, who was diagnosed with secondary breast cancer after going into hospital in April 2017, weeks after undergoing surgery for primary breast cancer, said last month she had her treatment suspended for three months.

The 54-year-old, who is from Stockport, said: “I wasn’t very happy to be told my palbociclib treatment, which has kept my cancer stable for three years, would be stopped. I try not to think about what will happen over the next two months, but I do worry about what my scan in June will show.

“If my disease were to progress, I’d feel like I had wasted a treatment option and the time it could have given me. Striking off such a valuable treatment not because of my cancer becoming unresponsive, but because of the risk of the virus, doesn’t seem fair.

“I ended up in hospital soon after I came off palbociclib as pain in my right hip became so severe that I couldn’t walk, which felt like too much of a coincidence at the time. Thankfully, no cancer progression was found, but I do really worry what may happen if the risk of coronavirus continues and I need to stay off the treatment for even longer. Everything just feels so out of my control at the moment, which is really difficult.

“There are a lot of people like me who’ve had to pause their cancer treatment and not all of us will have good results at the end of this. I’m just hoping that the risk of coronavirus drops low enough soon so that I can restart my treatment.”

Breast cancer, which is the most prevalent type of cancer in the UK, claims around 11,500 women’s lives each year in Britain. Secondary breast cancer ― where the disease has spread to a different area of the body ― is present in almost all of these deaths.

There are believed to be roughly 35,000 people who currently have secondary breast cancer in the UK.

Breast Cancer Now said some patients were worried about whether the treatment they are receiving is working and whether their cancer is growing due to having monitoring scans postponed by up to three months in the wake of coronavirus chaos.

The charity warned these issues, coupled with the steep nosedive in referrals for suspected cancer reported by NHS bodies in April, could result in a rise in cancers being identified at a stage at which they are harder to cure.

Researchers found some women who had undergone treatment for primary breast cancer were having their follow-up scans postponed.

But the study found patients who have secondary breast cancer are more likely to vent their frustrations about facing issues with treatment during the Covid-19 crisis than women with primary breast cancer.

Karen Hilton, who was diagnosed with secondary breast cancer in September 2018 after noticing lumps in her collarbone, has also seen her treatment massively disrupted by the virus.

The 48-year-old, who is from Dalkeith in Scotland, was due to marry her partner of 10 years, Alistair, in April, but the couple were forced to call off their wedding because of the government’s social distancing rules.

“Treatment worked very effectively originally, but the cancer seems to work its way around and come back again,” Ms Hilton said. “Unfortunately, I only have so many options left, and those options include trials for new treatments. They could be the thing that keep me alive but at the moment due to Covid-19 I’m not getting access and I don’t know how long it’s going to take for clinical trials to come back on to the table. I want to see my son grow up and it’s heart-breaking to think that might not happen.”

She added: “I’ve been on my current treatment for a few weeks now, but the chemotherapy I’m on could compromise my blood count and if it drops too low, I may have to stop. It’s all very down to the wire.

“At a time in my life that I want to be going out and working my way through my bucket list and all my travel plans, I can’t. I can’t even go for a coffee with a friend. It’s really tough for me and my family. While it’s a frightening situation that I’m living with this cancer, I’m also living with hope that I will get the treatment I need.”

The warnings come in the wake of rising concerns that the emergency response to the coronavirus pandemic will have wider health consequences and is already leading to increased deaths from other causes.

University College London research released last month found almost 18,000 more people could die from cancer over the next year in England due to the secondary impact of the pandemic, which is not only stopping treatment but putting people off accessing healthcare.

Baroness Delyth Morgan, chief executive at Breast Cancer Now, said: “It’s extremely concerning to hear of the huge emotional impact the outbreak is having on so many people living with secondary breast cancer. Many women are experiencing or fearing considerable changes to their care, and the level of anxiety, distress and fear that we’ve been hearing on our helpline is unparalleled in recent years.

“Living with incurable breast cancer can be difficult enough, but to add the extreme uncertainty of having to pause treatments that may be prolonging your life or potentially not being able to access the next treatment or trial you’ve been relying on is utterly distressing.

“NHS clinicians, researchers and experts worldwide have worked rapidly to develop new protocols to guide treatment decisions during the pandemic, and we hope that for many, changes or short delays to treatment are unlikely to lead to significant long-term impacts. But we cannot now abandon those living with secondary breast cancer at the time they need support, action and hope the most. As cancer catch-up strategies for the next stage of the pandemic are developed, it is essential that the often-forgotten needs of patients with incurable cancer are recognised and addressed."

She urged anyone who has concerns with their breast cancer treatment to call their free helpline on 0808 800 6000.