THE proportion of late stage breast cancer diagnoses has increased by more than one third, new figures have shown.
Public Health Scotland statistics released on Tuesday showed there had been 4,644 cases detected in 2022, an increase of 5% based on the average of cases in 2018 and 2019.
However, the statistics revealed that cases caught in stage three or stage four increased by 32.3% and 1.8% respectively when compared to the pre-pandemic average.
Elsewhere, the total number of late stage colorectal cancer diagnoses also increased by 14.4% for stage three and 5.5% for stage four.
There was also an increase of almost a quarter where the stage of cancer was not known.
The total number of diagnoses for colorectal cancer increased by 10.5% to 3,833.
However, the number of lung cancer diagnoses in the late stages dropped by 3.1% for stage four and 3.5% for stage three, while the total number of cases detected dropped by 1.5%.
Scottish Labour deputy leader Jackie Baillie (below) said the pandemic created a “ticking time bomb”, accusing the Government of failing to act.
“Women’s lives are being put at risk because of late breast cancer diagnosis, while lung cancer cases aren’t being caught at all,” she added.
“The SNP has ignored warning after warning about the looming cancer crisis and it has put lives at risk.
“We urgently need a real plan to catch up on cancer care and a lung cancer screening programme, but our Health Secretary has his eye off the ball.
“Swift diagnosis and treatment can make the difference between life and death, which is why Scottish Labour has long called for a real cancer catch-up plan to get services back on track.”
A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “Cancer remains a national priority for the NHS and Scottish Government which is why we have published a new 10-year strategy, improving all areas of cancer care from prevention and diagnosis through to treatment and post-treatment care.
“This will improve cancer survival and provide equitable access to treatment.
“The pandemic had a significant impact on all aspects of health and social care, and cancer services were no exception.
“We are pleased to note that more people are being diagnosed at an earlier stage of lung cancer than before the pandemic and through continued investment in the detect cancer earlier programme and by activating additional rapid cancer diagnostic services across Scotland, we aim to further reduce late stage diagnosis.”
