Raising awareness of the signs and symptoms of different types of cancer is key for catching cancer earlier.
This World Cancer Day (Saturday 4 February), we take a look at NHS Kent and Medway Cancer Alliance’s Earlier Diagnosis Programme’s commitment to helping people to spot the signs and symptoms of cancer.
We also meet one man who feels picking up one of the Alliance’s #BeSkinSmart postcards last summer has ‘very likely’ saved his life.
Finding cancer in the early stages
NHS Kent and Medway Cancer Alliance’s earlier diagnosis programme is all about finding and diagnosing cancer in the early stages.
Its awareness campaigns are run throughout the county but over the last 12 months, it’s been focussing its targeted outreach work in coastal communities, which data analysis shows have a higher risk of premature death from cancer.
Last summer saw the #BeSkinSmart roadshow hit the beach in Folkestone, Sheerness and Broadstairs to raise awareness of skin cancer.
The team talked to more than 800 people, highlighting the importance of:
• being skin smart
• staying safe in the sun
• regularly checking your skin for new moles or changes to existing ones.
Postcards, posters and other campaign materials were distributed and used in smaller roadshows in other locations.
Local early diagnosis work is also focussing on lung, prostate, bowel and ovarian cancers.
Targeted Lung Health Checks are taking place on the south Kent coast and plans are under way to raise awareness of prostate cancer in black men, who have a higher risk of prostate cancer, and at a younger age,
Social Enterprise Kent is working with the Cancer Alliance in Thanet to raise awareness of bowel cancer and tests which can help both detect and rule out bowel cancer.
Dr Tina George, Early Diagnosis Clinical Lead for NHS Kent and Medway Cancer Alliance, emphasised the importance of earlier diagnosis.
She said: “Catching a cancer in its early stages can, in some cases, be the difference between whether it is curable or not. It may not be anything serious, but it is always better to get it checked out.
“It’s really important to raise awareness of the possible signs and symptoms of cancer and encourage people to get symptoms that are concerning them checked with their GP without delay.”
For more general information about the signs and symptoms of cancer, visit www.nhs.uk/conditions/cancer/symptoms/
‘Let’s talk about ovarian cancer’
Kent and Medway’s Cancer Alliance Team will be out and about again this summer with its #BeSkinSmart but before then they will be raising awareness about ovarian cancer.
The team plans to launch their ‘Let’s talk about ovarian cancer’ campaign this March, in Ovarian Cancer Awareness month.
Following conversations with women, the team has developed more postcards, this time about the signs of ovarian cancer.
They have also created a wallet-sized foldout card that has a symptom diary for people to use to make a record of their symptoms, and there’s advice for getting symptoms checked.
Programme lead Cathy Finnis said: “When we went out and spoke to people about ovarian cancer, few women were aware of the symptoms, but they also told us they felt they needed support to speak up and have the conversation with their GP.
“They also felt that we could help them by giving them information to chat to each other about the symptoms and spread the word that way.
“What women told us led to us developing the ‘Let’s talk about ovarian cancer’ campaign, which we will launch next month.”
Postcard ‘very likely’ saved my life
When Chris, 77, popped into a café in Tenterden last summer, he didn’t think he’d be leaving with information that he now feels has ‘very likely’ saved his life.
After seeing a poster, he picked up one of NHS Kent and Medway Cancer Alliance’s #beskinsmart mole identification postcards, which encourage people to check their skin regularly for new moles or changes to existing ones.
Chris ticked all five of the ABCDE signs for one of his moles, so he followed the advice and made an appointment to see his GP.
He saw his GP in September, had surgery in October to remove the mole for analysis and was told in November that it was grade 3c melanoma.
Chris said: “Acting swiftly on this dermatology advice card has very likely saved my life.
“It is essential that you don't delay if your mole shows any of the characteristics described on the card, as in my experience, melanomas can and will progress alarmingly quickly once they start.
“Always remember that doctors will much prefer to see patients with suspicious moles that turn out to be harmless.”