'Low awareness' of cancer signs

Awareness of cancer symptoms was generally low and notably lower among men than women with a quarter being unable to name any symptoms, according to a report from NHS Bradford and Airedale.

Because of this, people were less likely to see changes to skin, bowel or bladder habits as potential signs of cancer with the result being they are less likely to get a diagnosis quickly.

Greg Fell, public health consultant for NHS Bradford and Airedale and cancer lead for West Yorkshire, said: "Cancer treatments are improving survival rates, however this survey shows we need to educate people to be able to spot the early signs and symptoms and encourage them to get checked out if they notice unusual changes as soon as possible.

"We know that generally the earlier cancer is diagnosed, the better the outcome is likely to be. If cancer is detected early there is a much greater likelihood of successful treatment.

"It's also important that people are aware of the lifestyle factors that increase their risk of cancer such as smoking, drinking too much alcohol, over-exposure to the sun and without adequate protection and sunbeds, and obesity."

The report, which is the first of its kind and based on the findings of the Cancer Awareness Measure (CAM) survey being carried out nationally, was aimed at understanding local adults' awareness of the causes of cancer and symptoms that may indicate the disease.

Health bosses in Bradford and Airedale are urging people to pay attention to the early warning signs and to recognise that a healthy lifestyle helps to protect them from developing the disease.

The report found that breast and cervical screening programmes were well known among respondents but four out of 10 people were unaware of bowel screening.

It also revealed young people were much less likely to respond to the symptoms of cancer than older people.

Lumps and swellings were mentioned by 75 per cent of respondents as possible symptoms; pain and unexplained weight loss by 25 per cent, but very few mentioned loss of appetite, tiredness and feeling weak.

Women are significantly more likely to mention a lump than men, according to the findings.

Several lifestyle factors received very low levels of awareness including being overweight and not taking enough exercise – no respondents mentioned a high number of sexual partners.

Only one in nine people mentioned a change in bowel or bladder habits, and one in 13 mentioned a cough or hoarseness – despite these symptoms being associated with the four top cancer types: breast, lung, prostate and colorectal.

Less than a third of women mentioned skin cancer as one of the most common cancers, despite it being the second most common among women.

Dr Ian Fenwick, GP at Woodroyd Centre in West Bowling and cancer lead, said: "This report is really important in telling us what level of awareness and understanding there is about cancer locally. It is the first report of its kind and highlights the need for us to do more work to make symptoms more real in people's minds. We will be focusing future activities on the areas where there are significant misunderstanding or where limited information exists.

"If people do have concerns about changes in their bowel, bladder habits, changes to skin or any worries then they should not be afraid to go and see their doctor. This is not wasting their time and it is important that symptoms are identified sooner rather than later."