Cancer Chancer

The ‘cancer chancer’ campaign is one of our first campaigns to target the traditionally hard to reach audience (socio-economically and socially disadvantaged men and women over 50 years old). It aims to speak directly to those who may be ignoring symptoms because of fear, or because they are not motivated to seek medical help, and those who may be unaware that lumps, a persistent cough, or rectal bleeding, at their time of life, may be a symptom of cancer.

What symptoms do I have?
A persistent cough that continues for months on end needs checking out because it could be an early sign of lung cancer. Other symptoms to look out for are a shortness of breath, coughing up phlegm with signs of blood in it, and ache or pain when breathing or coughing, loss of appetite or a change in a cough you may have had for a long time.

What will the doctor tell me?
The doctor will make a quick examination and check the respiratory (breathing) system. A persistent cough and even blood in the phlegm can be a sign of both benign (non-cancerous) and sinister conditions and so it is vital to get the lungs assessed by an X-ray.

This may reveal other conditions like Emphysema (a type of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or disease of the lungs/respiratory system) or infections. Depending on the severity of the symptoms and any suspicious X-ray appearances, a referral to the chest specialist can be made for detailed tests like CT Scans (a special kind of X-ray), MRI (magnetic imaging) and Bronchoscopy (a procedure where a doctor looks into your airways). These can reveal early lung cancers that are treatable. The referral is usually done by a 2 week route assuring early appointment and investigations.

The majority of symptoms are due to less threatening conditions and the doctor will be able to put your mind at rest. But they do have to be checked.

What will happen next?
If the X-ray reveals suspicious shadows that suggest possible early cancer, further tests will be arranged urgently to confirm this. An early appointment with a chest and cancer specialist will ensure treatment is started quickly; this can lead to more positive outcome.
Both GPs and hospital specialists attach great importance to cancer symptoms and have methods of speeding suspected cancer cases through the NHS system so we are not hampered by waiting times.

What symptoms do I have?
Unusual lumps in the breast or thickening within the breast tissue can sometimes be early signs of breast cancer.

Check too for lumps or swelling around the armpit area. Look out for changes in the shape of your nipple, especially if it sinks into the breast or if the breast begins to discharge blood.

9 out of 10 breast lumps are usually benign (and so non-cancerous), but it is important to get them checked out by a doctor.

What will the doctor tell me?
The GP will take into account your age, family history and the nature of the lumps to reassure you that whilst it is likely symptoms are benign (non-cancerous) it is vital to check the lumps in a detailed manner. There are some lumps that can be more suspicious and suggest cancer more than others.

The doctor will make an early referral to the hospital specialist for tests such as ultrasonography (ultrasound-based diagnostic imaging) and sometimes even a small biopsy, where a small needle can test the fluid within the lumps for cancer cells.

What will happen next?
The GP will take into account the examination findings and other risk factors and can prioritise the referral as 2 weeks rule or an urgent one. The hospital specialist will then confirm the nature of the lumps using further tests including imaging such as ultrasonogram and also needle biopsies (a diagnostic procedure sometimes used to investigate lumps or mass just under the skin). Sometimes the lump can be so obviously cancerous that an early surgery will be organised.

The number of early cancer diagnosis, treatment and survivors of breast cancer has been on the rise steadily. In most cases it is no longer as life threatening as it used to have been before.

The Bowel Patient

What symptoms do I have? If you spot rectal bleeding (bleeding from the back passage) or blood in your stools you should visit your GP straight away.
Although it’s more likely to be piles, rectal bleeding is sometimes an early indicator of bowel cancer.
Other signs to watch out for are a straining feeling in the rectum (anus), and/or a lasting change in normal bowel habits towards diarrhoea or looser stools.

What will the doctor tell me?
There are red flag (alarm) factors such as age, weight loss, alternating bowel habits of feeling of incomplete emptying combined with rectal bleeding, that will prompt the doctor to make a 2 week referral for further investigations.
That usually involves a sigmoidoscopy (a medical examination of the large intestine, usually by endoscope) and/or a colonoscopy (camera tests of the lower bowels). Please bear in mind a lot of these symptoms can also be associated with less threatening conditions and your doctor will be able to put your mind at rest.

What will happen next?
If a cancer is picked up by these special tests you will get to see a hospital specialist who will be able to advise treatment in the form of surgery that could be life saving. In other circumstances the specialist may spot minor conditions such as polyps (an abnormal growth that can lead to bleeding) and he would proceed to remove them by simple procedures during the camera test.