A CANCER patient says he has potentially been left with six months to live after the suspension of chemotherapy during the coronavirus pandemic.

The 56-year-old, who does not wish to be named, was diagnosed in 2014 and had been attending Royal Blackburn Hospital.

Treatment was suspended due to infection fears when the coronavirus infection rate was at its height.

Family member Rachel Morton said: “He received a letter on March 26 saying that treatment would be cancelled, and the letter didn’t say why. He just got a letter the next day saying it was due to Covid.”

She added: “We had to ring his nurse specialist to say he was experiencing pains and she then emailed his consultant.

“He went in for a scan and they saw his tumour had grown to a six centimetre mass.”

The family already had cause for concern, given that the patient had seen his tumour recur in previous instances when he had gone without chemotherapy.

Ms Morton said: “I understand there was a risk but the tumour has always come back during remissions if he doesn’t continue his treatment.”

The family say they were then disturbed to find that some chemotherapy treatments were still being held for patients in Burnley General Hospital, due to a separate entrance keeping patients safe from infection.

They say they had not been told about this despite the patient having attended blood antibody infusion treatments several times in Burnley.

Ms Morton said: “No-one checked his blood in the five or six times he went to Burnley, which would have been the first indication that his cancer had come back.

“The only time he ever left the house in over four months was to go to his appointments.”

His consultant at Royal Blackburn Hospital has now estimated he has around six months to live.

As a result, the patient’s only option is to now go to The Christie NHS Foundation Trust in Manchester, which specialises in cancer treatment.

East Lancashire Hospitals Trust bosses have defended and explained their approach.

A spokesperson said: “Chemotherapy treatment was postponed for some patients in March this year due to the risks of coronavirus, but only where the threat to their health would be greater if they developed symptoms of the COVID-19.

“Chemotherapy, whilst fighting the cancer weakens the immune system and the resilience of the individual infections such as COVID-19.

“All deferred patients continued to be monitored and reviewed in oncology clinics via telephone or video.

“Advice and emotional support has been, and continues to be, provided by our cancer nurse specialists and Macmillan information officers who have worked throughout the pandemic.”

They added: “All new patients are made aware of both the risks and the benefits of commencing chemotherapy during the pandemic; helping them to make their own decisions regarding their treatment. “