A WOMAN who has been treated for breast cancer during lockdown has urged others to check for symptoms after new statistics show thousands of cases could be going undiagnosed.
Gwen Torpey, from Buxted, near Uckfield, was diagnosed with stage three breast cancer in May last year.
The 43-year-old did hesitate to call her doctor amid the pandemic, but said she is "so relieved" she booked an appointment after noticing a change in her breast a month earlier.
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It comes after the news that almost 11,000 people in the UK could be living with undiagnosed breast cancer due to Covid-19 disruption and a reluctance to attend appointments.
Gwen said: "I totally understand why you would not want to call your GP during lockdown. It's also easy to think 'it's probably nothing'.
"But had I not made that call and worried too much about bothering them, things could have been different. It's scary.
"I was already at stage three and the cancer had spread to my lymph nodes.
"They were on it straight away and I felt really safe. I didn't get Covid and I was in and out of hospital for six months.
"Don't be scared to make that call because there's nothing more scary than letting cancer go unchecked."
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Leading charity Breast Cancer Now estimates there were 10,700 fewer people diagnosed with breast cancer last year between March and December due to the pandemic, and warns women could die due to delayed diagnoses.
The charity says there was a 90,000 drop in referrals to specialists for patients with possible symptoms of breast cancer in England during the period, with women reporting they were reluctant to attend medical appointments for fear of catching Covid-19, and not wanting to further burden the NHS.
Breast cancer services also faced significant disruption last year due to the pandemic.
With the NHS breast screening programme being paused and appointments now running at a reduced rate due to safety measures, the charity says nearly 1.2 million fewer women had breast screening between March and December.
Gwen, who went through surgery and months of chemotherapy and radiotherapy to beat her cancer, said treatment would have been much simpler if she had contacted her doctor earlier.
She said: "It doesn't have to be as traumatic as it was for me - breast cancer is so treatable if it is found early.
"It's so important to stand in front of the mirror and look at your breasts to check what is normal for you, and to keep an eye on it."
Jane Murphy, clinical nurse specialist at Breast Cancer Now, said: “The pandemic has thrown us all into unprecedented times and it’s natural people will have concerns.
"But the sooner breast cancer is diagnosed the better the chances of treatment being successful, which makes it vital women continue to check their breasts regularly and get any new or unusual changes checked with the GP, and continue to attend breast screening appointments when invited.
"The NHS wants people to attend their appointments and report symptoms to their GP – they have measures in place to keep staff and patients safe.
“In these challenging times I want to remind people that I and my team of expert nurses are at the end of the phone, ready to provide information and support to anyone affected by breast cancer – call our free helpline on 0808 800 6000.”
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