‘Help Us, Help You’ Cancer - Earlier Diagnosis
The campaign aims to address the barriers to people coming forward early by encouraging those who have noticed something in their body that doesn’t feel right and are worried it could be cancer to contact their GP practice. The campaign will reassure people that getting tested for cancer will put their mind at rest. Until you find out, you can’t rule it out.
Survey data released reveals that over half (53%) of the public worry about cancer every few months or more, while over 1 in 6 (17%) worries about cancer at least once a week. Two thirds (66%) would also speak to friends and family before anyone else if they were worried about cancer symptoms. The most common reasons the public cited for waiting to book a GP appointment were not wanting to find out bad news and hoping the symptoms would go away on their own.
The campaign is running across TV, radio, and social media between 16 January and 19 February and is the first ‘Help Us, Help You’ cancer campaign to focus on tackling the ‘fear’ of cancer rather than specific symptoms.
- If something in your body doesn’t feel right or you are experiencing symptoms that last three weeks or more, don’t delay – contact your GP practice.
- It’s probably nothing serious, but finding cancer early makes it more treatable.
- Contact your GP practice if you experience any of the below symptoms:
- Tummy trouble, such as discomfort or diarrhoea for three weeks or more;
- Blood in your pee - even just once;
- Unexpected or unexplained bleeding;
- Unexplained pain that lasts three weeks or more;
- An unexplained lump; or
- A cough for three weeks or more
- Not all the symptoms of cancer are easy to spot.
Contact your GP practice if you experience one or more of these symptoms, for three weeks or more:
- Unexplained weight loss;
- Feeling tired and unwell and not sure why;
- Heartburn or indigestion; or
- Unusual, pale or greasy poo.
For more information on cancer signs and symptoms go to nhs.uk/cancersymptoms
