HUNDREDS of cancers in the Vale of York were not discovered until they had progressed to the most deadly stage of illness – in 2019, before the pandemic made things even worse.

Data from NHS Digital shows that at least 495 cases diagnosed by medics in the Vale of York CCG (Clinical Commissioning Group) area had reached an advanced stage at the point of diagnosis in 2019.

Cancer Research UK has warned that a "cancer catastrophe" could be on the cards unless more is done to reduce the number of people receiving late diagnoses.

It said there were concerns that survival rates could "go backwards" because of the coronavirus pandemic delaying people in coming forward with symptoms, or affecting how long they needed to wait for tests.

Doctors commonly use staging techniques to establish how severe cancer is and how far it has spread, ranging from zero to four. Of 2,266 cancers diagnosed in the Vale in 2019, 26 per cent were stage four diagnoses.

York Press: Staff at York Hospital's endoscopy unit

Some cancers were far more likely to be diagnosed late than others, often because they do not cause symptoms until a later stage. In the Vale, 46 per cent of the 240 lung cancers detected in 2019 were at stage four when found, as were 35 per cent of 66 pancreatic cancers.

A spokesperson for the CCG said cancer services had remained open throughout the pandemic but fewer people contacted their GP with symptoms during lockdowns. "It is really important to contact your GP if you have any concerning symptoms to rule out cancer," they said.

"Patients who are diagnosed earlier have a better chance of being treated successfully for cancer and surviving for longer."

They said a number of initiatives were in place to increase early diagnosis, including targeted lung health checks and Faecal immunochemical tests.

"York has also pioneered the process for using specialist technology that has equipped local GPs with tools to take high-quality dermatoscope images to quickly detect skin cancers when many are curable at their early stage," they added.

Mr Srinivas Chintapatla, Consultant Surgeon and Director of Cancer and Support Services at York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said it had invested heavily in the diagnosis and management of cancer.

"For example, we have built a seven room endoscopy unit at York Hospital where we provide diagnosis of bowel, gullet, stomach and lung cancers," he said.

"We also provide bowel cancer screening and throughout the pandemic have kept the screening services and high-risk patient diagnostics running with minimal disruptions.

York Press:

"We are also investing in advanced technologies using nuclear physics like PET CT scanning so more services are available locally and patients do not need to travel to Hull or Leeds for these investigations.”