SCOTTISH Labour leader Anas Sarwar branded the cancer care backlog brought on by the coronavirus pandemic a “national emergency” today, with patients travelling hundreds of miles for treatment.

Figures released on Tuesday by Public Health Scotland (PHS) show that 485 people waited more than two months to start cancer treatment after receiving an urgent referral in the last quarter of 2020.

Mr Sarwar also said pointed out that figures revealed that up to one in five cases of cancer could have been missed as a result of screening services being halted during the pandemic.