Macmillan Cancer Support has stressed that cancer patients in the UK are living through the ‘worst possible Groundhog Day’.

Research from the charity 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. New figures 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.

In Fact, 40 per cent of those receiving treatment in the UK in the run-up to the current lockdown 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, compared to around a quarter in June 2020.

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. Meanwhile, at least 150,000 people have been newly diagnosed with cancer in the UK since March, with many having to hear this devastating news for the first time with no one by their side, due to coronavirus enforced 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.

Lynda Thomas, Macmillan’s chief executive, said: “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.”