Cervical cancer patients face chaos after operations and check-ups cancelled amid coronavirus

‘Without a trial, I am probably going to die. I feel like the government has abandoned everyone who doesn’t have Covid,’ says cervical cancer patient

Charities warned the Covid-19 crisis has put more women at risk of developing cervical cancer and urged health professionals to clear logjams of cancelled treatment as quickly as possible to ensure cancer does not have time to develop (Getty)

Coronavirus disruption has plunged treatment for cervical cancer patients into chaos, with women having operations and check-ups cancelled as backlogs of missed treatment pile up.

Charities warned the Covid-19 crisis has put more women at risk of developing cervical cancer, and urged health professionals to tackle logjams of cancelled treatment as quickly as possible to ensure cancer does not have time to develop.

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.

Cervical screenings, which help to pick up early signs of cell changes in the cervix that can turn into cancer, have been stopped in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland due to coronavirus.

In England, screenings have not been formally halted, but face-to-face appointments have been dramatically cut to curb the spread of coronavirus so screenings are not generally taking place.

Kate Sanger, the spokesperson for charity Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust, told The Independent screenings have been postponed for the foreseeable future in some parts of England.

She added: “So 378,000 tests are processed a year in Scotland. On average, that would be 94,500 every three months, so no screening for three months in Scotland will bring a huge backlog and that’s just one country and one part of the screening programme.

“If cervical cancer is caught at an early stage it is a very treatable cancer. The later it is picked up, the more chance it has to develop. Having cancer is already an extremely difficult and anxious time. With coronavirus, there is extra uncertainty. Anything from potentially facing different treatments or having operations or treatment postponed or cancelled.

“Because there are backlogs in screenings and colposcopies (procedures that are carried out if a cervical screening finds abnormal cells in the cervix) there is likely to be a rise in cell changes and potentially early-stage cancer diagnoses. It is really important these backlogs get cleared as soon as possible so there is no delay in treating women. The longer we take to treat women with cervical cancer, the more likely it is to develop. The coronavirus crisis could have put more people at risk of developing cervical cancer.”

Earlier in the week, it was announced NHS hospitals across the UK will begin to reinstate non-urgent treatments for conditions such as cancer and heart disease, but Ms Sanger said it would be a slow process due to backlogs. This would be exacerbated by staffing shortages triggered by people being off sick with Covid-19 or being deployed to help with the coronavirus emergency rather than cancer, she said.

“There will be backlogs of cervical screenings, treatments for cell changes, follow-up appointments and treatment of cervical cancer such as actual operations,” Ms Sanger added. “It is difficult to know what the situation looks like. That is why data collection is important. Hospitals, GP services, and trusts need to make sure they have mechanisms in place so that no one slips through the net.”

Ms Sanger said the coronavirus crisis is forcing women to attend appointments they would have previously attended with a loved on their own and have difficult appointments via video or telephone call — as well as potentially seeing a different cancer nurse specialist than previously.

University College London research, which was released on Wednesday, 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.

Helen Forman, a cervical cancer patient, told The Independent she felt like the government had “abandoned” her after her treatment was stopped because of the coronavirus crisis.

The 37-year-old, who lives in Wallasey in Merseyside with her partner, who is a key worker in Sainsbury’s, said: “I’ve got stage four cervical cancer and at the end of February my chemotherapy stopped working. A lot of trials they said they would refer me to won’t add new people because of Covid-19. Without a trial, I am probably going to die. I feel like the government has abandoned everyone who doesn’t have Covid. The trials could buy me a couple of years. There is one particular trial that has put someone in remission.

“My cancer has been left to go unchecked. I feel cast aside. Like I’m not important. It makes me angry hearing Matt Hancock saying we have increased coronavirus capacity given how many people are going to die of other things. It is like we don’t matter. We are not worth even trying to save. If anyone can help me please get in touch. Someone in my position would have been able to spend time with loved ones or travel before coronavirus. I can’t even see my parents. All this time in lockdown is wasted time.”

Laura Flaherty told The Independent she was supposed to have an appointment to check if her cervical cancer has returned but it has been cancelled due to the Covid-19 emergency.

The 33-year-old, from Leigh in Greater Manchester, said: “No matter how long you go, you prepare yourself for it coming back. My appointment should be the beginning of May but it’s not going to happen. When I found out I was beyond devastated. I needed that next all-clear under my belt. You think if it is there, it has had a year to grow, and treatment has been delayed.

“With the coronavirus crisis, everyone is now getting an insight into what cancer patients go through on a daily basis. It is a silent invisible killer. As a cancer patient, you feel like cancer is chasing you. Every day you are waiting for it to come back. You have this invisible disease hanging over you. I would not wish that on my worst enemy.

“I was lucky because they caught it at early stages. I had delayed a smear test for four or five months. I had no symptoms. If I’d delayed it longer, it could have changed the diagnosis. I thought smear test, tick, done. I thought I’d get a letter and see them in three years. I remember flippantly saying to my mum ‘I’d know if I’d had cancer’. Those are the type of words that stick in your head. When the consultant said ‘I’m so sorry, it’s cancer’, I just broke. I sobbed. I begged him. I remember saying to him ‘you have to save me, I can’t die, I’m not ready’. I kept repeating ‘save me, save me’ and saying ‘If I die my children won’t remember me’.”

Martin Ledwick, Cancer Research UK’s head cancer information nurse, said anyone who has possible cancer symptoms is still able to seek help from the NHS and have their “symptoms investigated promptly”.

He added: “Some cervical cancer patients who are undergoing treatment are considered vulnerable and will be shielding to protect themselves from contracting the virus — this is because Covid-19 can cause more severe symptoms in people with a weakened immune system. It can be an isolating and difficult time for some people.”