More than quarter of a million cancer sufferers have been struggling with panic and anxiety attacks during lockdown and are now facing new fears about the loosening of restrictions, research has revealed. The study, by Macmillan Cancer Support, found fear levels among UK cancer sufferers have been so high that 270,0000 people have experienced panic or anxiety attacks or even suicidal thoughts because of coronavirus. Since the start of the pandemic, over half a million people with cancer have barely left their homes and around a fifth of them say they will stay indoors until a vaccine or effective treatment is widely available, regardless of recent changes to government shielding guidance, the charity found following a survey this month. Last week, ministers loosened shielding guidance for the most vulnerable, allowing them to meet in a group of up to six people outdoors, including people from different households, while maintaining strict physical distancing. The new guidelines also mean they can form “support bubbles” with one other household with overnight stays in each other’s homes without any restrictions. But the guidance has caused a lot of distress for many people with cancer, according to Macmillan’s chief executive, Lynda Thomas, who said they feel “lost in lockdown”. Sufferers have said they are not sure what to do. “For many people it is more frightening to be diagnosed with cancer now than during any other time in recent history,” she said. The research also suggested people with cancer have been shielding themselves in larger numbers than those deemed extremely clinically vulnerable to coronavirus. “The changing shielding guidance just adds to the panic and stress that is already going on for me,” said Michelle, 21, from Essex, who was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin lymphoma for the second time in April 2020 and is shielding with her family and girlfriend. “The virus isn’t going to evaporate overnight, so I feel it’s just not worth the risk of going outside.” “I’ve grown accustomed to the ‘stay home’ message, and now the idea of shielding lifting and returning to some semblance of normality is scary,” said Deb, 55, from London, a single mother with breast cancer shielding with her teenage twins. “We are all petrified of the implications of the virus. I had become hugely anxious and torn about what to do for the best.”