Cancer detection rates in Wales are nearing pre-pandemic levels, according to recent data. The number of new cancer cases increased by 10.2 per cent in 2021 compared to 2020, with 19,625 cases diagnosed.
However, this figure is still 3.9 per cent lower than the average observed during 2018-2019. The data highlights a mixed picture across different cancer types, with bowel and female breast cancers showing the most significant recovery.
In 2021, the number of detected cases for these cancers exceeded pre-pandemic levels, with bowel cancer diagnoses seeing a 9.4 per cent increase and female breast cancer cases rising by 5.5 per cent compared to the 2018-2019 average.
This recovery is partly attributed to the swift reinstatement of national screening programmes for these cancers, which were temporarily paused during the first lockdown in March 2020. The bowel and female breast cancer screening programmes were reinstated in August 2020, leading to the return of expected screen-detected cancer diagnoses. From October 2021, the bowel screening programme lowered the age range and started to invite people aged 58 to 60.
However, other cancers have not experienced the same level of recovery. Lung cancer diagnoses in 2021 were still 3.9 per cent below pre-pandemic levels, and prostate cancer continues to lag significantly, with a 20.
4 per cent decrease in detected cases compared to 2018-2019. The variations in recovery rates across different cancer types are likely influenced by differ.
