Almost half a million more patients were checked for cancer between March 2021 and October 2022, compared to the same period before the pandemic.

Thanks to extensive NHS campaigns and early diagnosis drives, 546,890 more people were referred for cancer during this period – helping to recover the drop in people coming forward during the pandemic, when around 370,000 fewer people received checks.

This is really encouraging news and spurs us on as we seek to achieve the NHS’s ambition to diagnose 75% of cancers at stage I or II by 2028.

NHS England » Earlier diagnosis

Don’t carry the worry of cancer with you, if something in your body doesn’t feel right, contact your GP practice.

To rule out cancer, your GP may refer you for tests. Whatever the result, your NHS is here for you.

Tests could put your mind at rest. Until you find out, you can’t rule it out. Contact your GP practice. 

Contact your GP practice if something in your body doesn’t feel right or you experience any of the symptoms below. Signs and symptoms vary, and some can be harder to notice, such as:

Breathlessness

Frequent infections

Unexplained night sweats

Unexplained weight loss

Unexpected or unexplained bruising

For three weeks or more:A coughor a change in an existing cough

Tummy trouble, such as discomfort or diarrhoea

Feeling tired and unwell and not sure why

Heartburn or indigestion

Unusual, pale or greasy poo

Other signs and symptoms include:

Unexplained pain or discomfort for three weeks or more

An unexplained lumpanywhere on the body

Unexpected or unexplained bleeding (such as bleeding from your bottom, or blood when youcough or in your vomit)

Blood in your poo

Blood in your pee - even just once

Formore information on cancer signs and symptoms go to nhs.uk/cancersymptoms

The NHS Long Term Plan (LTP) was published in January 2019. It sets out stretching ambitions and commitments to improve cancer outcomes and services in England over the next ten years.

The key ambitions in the NHS LTP for cancer are:

• by 2028, 55,000 more people each year will survive their cancer for five years or more; and
• by 2028, 75% of people with cancer will be diagnosed at an early stage (stage one or two).

The ambitions will be delivered in a way that:

• improves quality of life outcomes;
• improves patient experience outcomes;
• reduces variation; and
• reduces inequalities

New Screening tests

FIT- Comprehensive use of the Faecal Immunochemical Test (FIT) in patients with symptoms of bowel cancer is critical to improving bowel cancer survival in England, ensuring patients on the lower gastrointestinal urgent suspected cancer pathway can be diagnosed promptly and using our available colonoscopy capacity in the most effective way.

Targeted lung health checks

Lung cancer is frequently diagnosed at a later stage than other cancers, due to there often being no signs at an early stage. The targeted lung health check programme (TLHC) offers lung health checks to participants aged 55 to 74 who are current or former smokers. The programme aims to improve earlier diagnosis of lung cancer, at a stage when it is much more treatable.

Early diagnosis of liver cancer

Around 6,214 people are diagnosed with liver cancer each year. However, incidence of liver cancer has increased by 50% over the past decade and is expected to continue to rise. It is the fastest rising cause of cancer death in the UK and only 13% of people will survive five years or more after diagnosis. This is why early diagnosis is critical, however existing evidence suggests only 33% to 50% of liver cancers are currently diagnosed at an early stage (1 or 2).

There are three workstreams: Improving liver surveillance programmes, community liver health check pilots, primary care pilots

Implementing Lynch syndrome testing and surveillance pathways

This handbook sets out guidance to support local systems to implement Lynch syndrome pathways nationally for both colorectal and endometrial cancer. It is intended to be helpful and set out best practice, but of course will need to be adapted to local circumstances.

Survey data on cancer fear & barriers to accessing a GP

4 Key Barriers:

- Lack of body vigilance: there was a general lack of body awareness, the inability to recognise change in the body. This is exacerbated by the fact that pre-existing or ambiguous health conditions can mask cancer symptoms, especially as they can be vague and there are some areas of limited symptom knowledge;

- Perceptions of the NHS: the perceptions (and reality) of the NHS create a significant barrier to presentation. Before presenting, there is a perception that this is going to be a hard and slow process;

- Opaque diagnosis journey: there is a lack of visibility of the diagnosis journey, in particular pre-diagnosis. The audience aren’t clear what happens if they think they have cancer, and this is further complicated by limited communications during their diagnosis journey.

- Pervading fear: all of this is underpinned by fear. This is a nuanced and multi-faceted fear: fear of knowing, fear of the unknown, fear of death, fear of vulnerability, fear to voice concerns, fear of the impact on their family, fear of treatment, fear of diagnostic testing.

30% of the most at-risk age group (55+)claimed that they never worry about cancer at all

Two thirds (66%)of the public would speak to friends and family before anyone else if they were worried about cancer symptoms

Women (64%) are more likely than men (53%)to speak to their GP first if they were concerned about cancer symptoms

The most common reasons 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

National survey: the total sample size was 2,000 general consumers in England. Fieldwork was undertaken between 23 and 28 September 2022. The survey was carried out online. Opinion Matters abides by and employs members of the Market Research Society which is based on the ESOMAR principles. A copy of the dataset used can be provided on request.

 At Clevedon Medical Centre we have put in place a number of measures to contribute to the NHS long-term plan to diagnose more cancers earlier.

1- Cancer Screening- We have a comprehensive service in place to review the notes of patients who have not responded to calls for cervical screening and breast screening; we are developing a process for bowel screening also. We aim to contact all non-responders to screening invitations to remind you of the importance of attending your screening appointments. We have smear clinics available to be booked throughout the week, and we have a cancer care coordinator available to speak with you about any issues you may be having with booking your cancer screening.

2- Earlier Diagnosis- we have a clinical triage model that provides experienced clinicians to review your symptoms when you request an appointment, we are therefore able to pick out patients who we feel may need investigations for a possible cancer diagnosis and provide thess patients with an earlier appointment. Please can we therefore ask that patients include as much information as possible in their AccuRx forms to enable accurate triage, including specific information around why you might be concerned that you have cancer

3- IT solutions- We use IT systems such as Ardens within EMIS to enable clinicians to pick out patients who may be at high risk of cancer, these systems are also able to suggest urgent tests that might be needed to assess and rule our a possible cancer diagnosis early. These systems are being trialled nationwide and the evidence suggests that they can help patients get the tests that they need faster.

Breast Cancer Screening

Our records show that you have not attended your Breast Screening appointment. If you would like to, you can still make an appointment. Please call the Avon Breast Screening unit on 0117 414 7070 or email abs@nbt.nhs.uk. If you have attended already or you are not yet eligible as you are less than 50-years old then please ignore this message

Bowel Cancer Screening

If you have not had your bowel cancer screening kit through in the post, or if you have forgotten to respond to the screening service. Please call 0800 707 60 60 to request a new pack. You are entitled to screening between every 2-years between 60 and 74 years old, although this is expanding over the next 4-years to include everyone from 50-years old.

Cervical Cancer Screening

Id you have receievd a letter inviting you to take part in cervical cancer screening. This will be every 3-years from 25-years old to 49-years old; and every 5-years from 50-years old to 64-years old. Please complete an AccuRx form requesting an appointment, we will then send you a booking link so that you can make your appointment online.

https://digital.nhs.uk/ndrs/data/data-outputs/cancer-data-hub/cancer-treatments 

Produced by the National Cancer Registration and Analysis Service (NCRAS) in partnership with Cancer Research UK (CRUK). This presents, for the first time, population-based statistics on chemotherapy, radiotherapy and surgical tumour resections in England, by demographic factors and geography.