Almost 2.5 million Britons have not been screened, tested or treated for cancer because the Covid-19 pandemic has led to “enormous disruption” of NHS care for the disease, experts have warned. More than 24,000 cases of cancer have gone undiagnosed as a result of the suspension of normal services while delays in treatment mean some people’s disease is now inoperable, Cancer Research UK (CRUK) says. Analysis by the charity has found there is a backlog of what it estimates to be 2.1 million people across the UK waiting to undergo screening for breast, bowel or cervical cancer because the NHS has not offered those appointments while hospitals have been busy tackling Covid-19. As a result 3,800 people whose cancer would usually have been picked up by screening have gone undiagnosed, CRUK believes. Another 20,300 cancers have also been missed because an estimated 290,000 people were not urgently referred by their GP for investigation within two weeks of possible cancer symptoms, it says. The suspension of much normal NHS care during the lockdown has also meant that 12,750 fewer cancer patients have had surgery, 6,000 fewer have received chemotherapy and 2,800 fewer have undergone radiotherapy. Services were put on hold to reduce the risk of people with cancer, who have lower immunity, contracting the coronavirus if they came into hospital for treatments. “My colleagues and I have seen the devastating impact this pandemic has had on both patients and NHS staff. Delays to diagnosis and treatment could mean that some cancers will become inoperable,” said Prof Charles Swanton, CRUK’s chief clinician. The charity’s estimates follow a warning last week by Macmillan Cancer Support that up to 2,000 people a week with cancer are going undiagnosed because services have been severely curtailed and also because fear of catching coronavirus has made many people reluctant to seek NHS care. Britain is now facing a “ticking timebomb” of cancers that have gone undetected during the pandemic, it fears. Two recent studies have found that potentially many thousands of people with cancer could die as a consequence of them not seeking or being able to access NHS care since March. Research published in April by University College London and the cancer data hub Data-Can estimated that the death toll could be as high as 18,000 in England. And the Institute of Cancer Research said last month that the pandemic would have “a terrible indirect impact on the lives of cancer patients” for months to come. NHS cancer services are starting to get back to normal now that hospitals are treating far fewer inpatients with Covid-19 and the influx of new cases seen in March and April has slowed greatly. Some people with cancer needing urgent care have been able to undergo surgery during the pandemic, often in private hospitals which were kept clear of Covid-19 patients for that purpose. CRUK wants treatment to resume as quickly as possible in “Covid-protected” environments and for both patients due to come to hospital and staff who will treat them to have regular, fast turnaround tests to ensure they are not carrying the virus, even if they are not displaying symptoms. A spokesperson for the NHS in England said: “Even though more people than ever started NHS cancer treatment in March, coronavirus has turned millions of lives upside down. “Cancer services are largely now open, ready and able to receive all patients who need care, so the critical point is that anyone who is concerned about a possible cancer symptom should contact their GP practice and come forward for a checkup.”