Cancer patients living through ‘worst possible Groundhog Day’ as Covid-19 rates spark growing concerns about their physical and mental health
Cancer patients in the UK are living through the ‘worst possible Groundhog Day’, according to a leading charity, which is urging people to contact them for support as the pandemic continues.

Macmillan Cancer Support is issuing the message as its research reveals the growing toll of the ongoing coronavirus crisis on people with cancer, with many facing rising anxiety, further disruption to care, and the disconcerting experience of going through diagnosis and treatment alone.

This is highlighted by new figures from the charity that show cancer patients are now more worried about how delays to their treatment will impact on their chances of survival than they were following the first peak.



More than a third (40%) of those receiving treatment in the UK in the run-up to the current lockdown[i] — over 100,000 people[ii] — were worried that disruption caused by the coronavirus could be reducing the likelihood of their treatment being successful or, at worst, risk shortening their lives[iii] compared to around a quarter (28%) back in June[iv].

The research also shows almost one in five (19%) people with cancer have been left feeling depressed because of Covid-19, compared to one in six (16%) in June. A quarter (24%) even feel they will not be able to return to normal activities until there are no new cases of the virus being reported.

Macmillan estimates that around a quarter of a million people with cancer in the UK will be having to shield in the latest wave of the virus, with some having done so since the pandemic began[v]. Meanwhile, at least 150,000 people have been newly diagnosed with cancer in the UK since March[vi], with many having to hear this devastating news for the first time with no one by their side, due to Covid-19 restrictions. Recent analysis by the charity also suggests tens of thousands of people across the UK are missing a cancer diagnosis they would otherwise have received, because of the impact of the pandemic[vii].

The charity wants to ensure everyone affected by cancer is making use of its round-the-clock support in this crisis and is urging patients and their loved ones to contact its phoneline, where specially trained cancer nurses and counsellors are there for anyone affected by or worried about cancer, every day of the week. They can provide comprehensive information and advice about their care and treatment options, as well as financial and emotional support, to help people with cancer cope with the additional strain of the coronavirus pandemic. Peer-to-peer support is available 24 hours a day on its Online Community, an online forum with over 90,000 members. The charity is also reminding anyone worried about cancer symptoms to contact their GP as an absolute priority.

Macmillan’s concerns are also mirrored by figures showing its specialist nurses took at least 14% more calls over the Christmas period compared to 2019[viii]. Hits to its online Covid-19 information hub also hit a six-month high (more than 5,000 views) on the day the latest lockdown was announced for England, and have since soared to the highest level seen since the start of the pandemic[ix].

Mother-of-two Ellen Wallace, 40, from Norfolk, was diagnosed with colon cancer last October, in the middle of the pandemic. She says:

“I knew something was wrong for longer than I care to admit until one night I had a panic attack. I contacted my GP and two weeks later I was in hospital with a colonoscopy nurse telling me they’d found a 10cm tumour — the ugliest, angriest thing I’ve ever seen. I felt lucky that surgery to remove the tumour, multiple lymph nodes and an ovary happened just two weeks later. But there’s a sting to my luck, as metastatic cancer was found on my liver and I need a liver resection.

“I’ve been told I’ve been put on a waiting list as liver surgery has been suspended in my area due to Covid-19 and instead I’m starting ‘bridging chemotherapy’ next month in the hope of holding back the cancer. I’m now feeling cut adrift and fearful. I’m trying to focus on the future, my new job, and my family and remain trustful that the NHS will act in my best interests, but deep inside I’m scared and really worried that six months of chemo instead of the liver op, will disrupt my life even further.

“I really struggled with the NHS language when talking about my diagnosis and treatment, so Macmillan’s website and Online Community have been utterly invaluable and relatable.”

Chris Payne, Support Line Manager at Macmillan Cancer Support, says:

“There’s been a real change in the feel of the calls to the Support Line recently. People are really struggling, and emotions are heightened. We’re hearing from people every day who are feeling incredibly isolated, who are too scared to go outside because of their vulnerability to coronavirus and who have found receiving a diagnosis and going through treatment without loved ones by their side really distressing. For many, this pandemic feels like the worst possible Groundhog Day. We want them to know that they aren’t alone.

“Macmillan’s specially trained teams are on hand, every day, to provide support — answering, explaining and giving people time and space to come to terms with whatever they are going through. Our experts can even help with financial or welfare guidance or provide practical answers to day-to-day questions.

“We will keep doing whatever it takes to ensure people with cancer do not feel forgotten in this crisis.”

Macmillan’s Chief Executive Lynda Thomas, adds:

“This is an acutely challenging time for people with cancer, the NHS and cancer care. Macmillan is here to do whatever it takes at a time when the NHS is understandably struggling. We know that some treatment is being disrupted but healthcare professionals are doing everything they can to keep cancer care on track, and GPs are open if anyone is worried about possible cancer symptoms. We want people to know that Macmillan and the NHS are still here for you.”

Anyone in need of cancer support can call the Macmillan Support Line on 0808 808 00 00, which is open 7 days a week, 8am-8pm, or visit Macmillan’s website or Online Community. Those who are experiencing cancer symptoms should contact their GP as a matter of urgency. The latest guidance on coronavirus for people with cancer is available on the charity’s online Covid-19 hub.

-Ends –

Macmillan services include:

Emotional and practical information

Clinical information

Financial guidance

Welfare rights and grants

Energy advice

Work and career support

Coronavirus guidance

Further details available here.

About Macmillan Cancer Support

At Macmillan, we give people with cancer everything we’ve got. If you’re diagnosed, your worries are our worries. We will move mountains to help you live life as fully as you can.

And we don’t stop there. We’re going all out to find ever better ways to help people with cancer, helping to bring forward the day when everyone gets life-transforming support from day one.

[i] Macmillan Cancer Support/YouGov survey of 2904 adults with a previous cancer diagnosis, including 293 currently going through cancer treatment. Fieldwork was undertaken between 2nd — 22nd December 2020. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all UK adults 18+ who are living with cancer.

[ii]% figures from ref i, rounded to the nearest %, were applied to the estimated 3 million people living with cancer in the UK. Around 10% of the people surveyed reported they were currently having cancer treatment; 40% of this group therefore represents around 120,000 people in the UK. 3 million figure is derived from 2013 complete prevalence (Macmillan-NCRAS Cancer Prevalence Project). This is projected forwards using the UK growth rates in Maddams et al. (2012), resulting in an estimated 3 million people living with cancer in the UK. This includes all people who have ever had a cancer diagnosis, some people in this group may no longer consider themselves to be living with cancer.

[iii] Question wording as follows: How worried, if at all, are you about each of the following? Delays to my cancer treatment because of coronavirus (COVID-19) affecting my chances of survival

[iv] Macmillan Cancer Support/YouGov survey of 2202 adults with a previous cancer diagnosis. Fieldwork was undertaken between 2nd — 15th June 2020. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all UK adults 18+ who are living with cancer.

[v] NHS England and NHS Improvement estimated in mid-March that 200,000 people with cancer needed to be contacted about shielding because they have been deemed to fall into the ‘clinically extremely vulnerable’ classification in England, which Macmillan estimates if a similar ratio to incidence in 2017 applied across the UK, it could equate to around 240,000 ‘clinically extremely vulnerable’ people in the UK. Since this estimate was made, additional people living with cancer may have been identified as ‘clinically extremely vulnerable’. Some of the difference in figures could be because the survey respondents who have been shielding have been doing so for a reason other than cancer, e.g. other health conditions.

[vi]In England, between March and September 2020 there were 131,685 new cases of cancer reported. Source: Public Health England’s National Cancer Registration and Analysis Service (NCRAS). Rapid cancer registration dataset. January 2018-September 2020 dataset; accessed January 2021. In Scotland, between March and August 2020 there were at least 16,306 new cases of cancer reported. Source: Public Health Scotland. Covid-19 statistical report — wider impacts dashboard. Accessed January 2021. Both sources are a rapid proxy measure of the number of people diagnosed with cancer during this time. The equivalent data is not yet available for Wales and Northern Ireland, but we are confident the overall UK total will be more than 150,000.

[vii] Macmillan estimates the gap in activity leading to patient diagnosis in England by considering expected number of diagnoses through each route (Public Health England: Routes to Diagnosis. Available from: http://www.ncin.org.uk/view?rid=4194) and applying year-on-year differences in activity reported for the two-week wait (see ii), GP appointment attendance (Appointments in General Practice — August 2020, NHS Digital), Emergency admissions (A&E Attendances and Emergency Admissions 2020–21. Adjusted: Monthly A&E Time series September 2020, NHS England) and Macmillan’s estimates of screening activity. For Wales estimates we examined the number of patients entering the Single Cancer Pathway each month compared to a June 2019 to February 2020 baseline (Cancer Waiting Times — Monthly, StatsWales). For Northern Ireland we examine the year-on-year difference in number of patients with a pathology sample indicating cancer (Recent trends in the Number of Patients with Pathology Samples Indicating Cancer: August Update, NICR). For Scotland we take an incidence-weighted average of gaps in activity observed in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. We estimate a UK-wide gap of around 50,000 diagnoses between March and August 2020.

[viii] In the weeks beginning 14th December 2020 and 4th January 2021, there were 2,143 calls to the Cancer Information Nurse Specialists on the Macmillan Support Line compared with 1,888 calls in the equivalent weeks last year. Overall, calls in w/c 21st and 28th December 2020 were even higher than the weeks either side, but are not as directly comparable with the previous year, mainly due to the days on which Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day fell in each year.

[ix]On Monday 4th January there were more than 5,00 unique page views of the coronavirus information pages on the Macmillan website, and on 12th January this soared to over 12,000 views
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