PEOPLE with suspected cancer symptoms are being urged to not delay seeking advice and treatment because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Doctors at Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board (BCUHB) made the plea after GP surgeries reported a significant reduction in the number of people presenting with symptoms associated with the disease since the pandemic was declared.

This has led to worries that the opportunity to provide successful early treatment could be lost.

Dr Jenny Liddell, a BCUHB Macmillan GP based at Corwen Health Centre, Denbighshire, said: "We recognise that many people are understandably very anxious and don’t want to put additional pressure on healthcare services during the COVID-19 pandemic.It’s important that people who are experiencing problems with their health, particularly those with persisting worrying symptoms that could be linked to cancer, don’t delay contacting their GP.

“We are urging people who have noticed any unusual or unexplained changes in their body to contact their GP. These changes are usually caused by something far less serious than cancer, but they could be a sign of the disease.

“We want people to know that they are not wasting their GP’s time by getting their symptoms checked.

“Spotting cancer early means treatment is much more likely to be successful.”

Public Health Wales have temporarily paused some of the population based screening programmes, but patients are being urged to carry on phoning their GP practice to seek assistance, with telephone, video and face to face consultations available.

The health board is also reassuring patients that measures have been introduced to ensure that assessment and treatment can be provided safely in GP surgeries and in hospitals across the region.

Treatment is continuing at the North Wales Cancer Treatment Centre, Glan Clwyd Hospital.

BCUHB is following guidance from the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE) when considering which cancer treatments it can still offer safely and appropriately.

"The majority of routine cancer treatments and radiotherapy is still being delivered where it has been considered safe to do so," A spokesperson from BCUHB said.

"Most urgent and essential cancer treatments are also still proceeding.

"Consideration is also being given to alternative forms of cancer treatment in order to keep patients as safe as possible."