![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/Breast-cancer.jpg\")
<\/a>Almost 18,000 more people with cancer in England could die after the coronavirus pandemic led hospitals to suspend treatment and deterred patients from seeking NHS care, research has found.<\/span><\/p>\nCancer<\/strong><\/span><\/a> experts claim that an extra 6,270 people in England who have been newly diagnosed with the disease could die from it over the next 12 months as a direct result of the disruption caused by coronavirus, and the additional toll taking into account all those living with cancer could be 17,915.<\/span><\/p>\n That is an increase of 20% on the 89,576 deaths among cancer patients recorded annually in England, according to the latest available statistics.<\/span><\/p>\n The UK hospital death toll from coronavirus stands at 21,678, and more than 4,300 people have died in care homes in the past fortnight, bringing the total to more than 26,000 Covid-19 deaths since the pandemic took hold in Britain.<\/span><\/p>\n The new analysis sheds light on some of the wider health impacts of the pandemic. Macmillan Cancer Support described the findings as extremely worrying and said cancer should not become \u201cthe forgotten C\u201d during the coronavirus crisis.<\/span><\/p>\n NHS England has launched a campaign<\/a><\/strong><\/span> urging people with symptoms of any potentially serious illness to seek help in the normal way by visiting A&E, a GP or dialling 999.<\/span><\/p>\n Urgent referrals by GPs for cancer tests have fallen by 76% and appointments for chemotherapy by 60% since the pandemic arrived in February despite NHS England insisting<\/a> <\/strong><\/span>cancer treatment \u201cshould continue unaffected\u201d. The health service hopes to resume cancer operations this week but faces a large backlog.<\/span><\/p>\n