Wednesday 19 October 2022 12:10 AM Women left waiting 2 YEARS for breast reconstruction surgery trends now
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Women have been forced to wait years for breast reconstruction after having a mastectomy with services' activity still at more than a third lower than before the pandemic, new research shows.
Two-fifths of women waiting for breast reconstruction during the pandemic faced a delay of two years or more, according to a survey by Breast Cancer Now (BCN).
During the first wave alone, between March and July 2020, more than 1,500 women missed out on reconstruction following a mastectomy, the charity estimates.
At the height of the pandemic, there was a drop in breast reconstruction activity by 64 per cent in 2020-2021 compared to 2018-2019, according to analysis of official NHS figures by the charity.
Carlie-Ann Hare, 32, from Birmingham, had a single mastectomy after being diagnosed with breast cancer in March 2020 and is still waiting for reconstruction surgery today
Breast reconstruction services have still not returned to normal levels, with a drop in activity by 34 per cent in 2021-22 compared to 2018-19, it found.
Women are also facing a 'postcode lottery' in accessing services, with the proportion of women getting an immediate reconstruction after a single mastectomy ranging from three per cent to 75 per cent between trusts across the country, BCN cited.
BCN's survey of more than 2,500 women affected by breast cancer who had received or were awaiting breast surgery ran between March and May this year.
Just over half of respondents waiting for breast reconstruction surgery felt the pandemic had a significant impact on their wait and experience, while nine in 10 women said reconstruction was an 'important part of recovery'.
The findings were published in the report Delivering real choice: The future of breast reconstruction in England yesterday.
Among the report's recommendations included for the backlog and long delays facing those awaiting breast reconstruction to be addressed.
It also urged for consistent data to be collected on the number of patients waiting for breast reconstruction and risk-reducing surgery, and how long they have been
