Signs And Symptoms - Cancer Research UK - Science Update blog

Spotting cancer early – our partnership with Tesco

Posted on March 6, 2012 by Nell Barrie

Diagnosing cancer early saves lives

If cancer is diagnosed early, it’s nearly always easier to treat successfully. But too many cancers are still diagnosed at a late stage – thousands of lives could be saved in the UK if more cancers were spotted early.

We’re working hard to solve this problem, and we’re excited to announce a major new partnership with Tesco. By working together we will find ways to close the gap between survival rates in the UK and the best countries in Europe so that thousands more will survive cancer in the future.

Tesco will raise £10 million to fund 32 early diagnosis research projects across the UK, as well as displaying our leaflets on the signs and symptoms of cancer to the millions of customers who go through their stores’ checkouts each week.

But what exactly will this research involve? Read on for just a few highlights of the work that this valuable partnership is supporting. Continue reading →

A Christmas tale – early diagnosis saved my life

Posted on January 10, 2012 by Oliver Childs

Colin Barnard shares his story

You may have seen the news today that Tesco has chosen Cancer Research UK as its Charity of the Year 2012 and is aiming to raise £10million. The money will be spent on research and awareness to improve early diagnosis and detection of the disease, supporting the funding of up to 100 research projects about early diagnosis across the UK.

Tesco will also be continuing its sponsorship of Race for Life for the next three years and is aiming to raise a further £3million to support the event series.

Spotting cancer early is crucial, as we know that people are more likely to survive cancer if it’s found at an early stage. Colin Barnard, 68, knows first-hand how important early diagnosis is and what a difference Tesco’s support will make to people’s lives. He had his bowel cancer detected through routine bowel screening in early December 2011.

You can read more about his incredible story in this special guest article.

Continue reading →

Podcast: Bacteria, bowel cancer, sunscreen and smoking

Posted on September 20, 2011 by Kat Arney

Click on the image to listen to the latest podcast

In this month’s podcast we find out how studying a molecule found in bacteria could lead to new cancer drug targets.

Also in the news, researchers discover alarmingly low levels of public awareness about bowel cancer, and a survey shows that sunburn is rife as men skimp on sunscreen. Plus, our researchers discover a new gene implicated in ovarian cancer, and we take a look at the frontlines in the battle to control tobacco.

Listen now through the player below:

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Or click here to download the podcast as an mp3.

Also, the podcast is available on iTunes to subscribe and download for free.

Alternatively, go to the main podcast page on our website, where you can hear the show directly through our own Flash player. And there’s also a full transcript of the podcast available here.

We hope you enjoy it – please do let us know what you think of the podcast in the comments below, or email us at podcast@cancer.org.uk.

Kat

Breast cancer survival and background – why the difference?

Posted on June 9, 2011 by Henry Scowcroft

Inequalities matter in health. One of our goals as a charity is to help ensure that everyone in the UK – no matter what their background or where they live – has equal access to the best treatment for cancer. But the evidence shows that people from different backgrounds have different cancer outcomes. The big question is – why?

A new analysis of breast cancer survival rates, published today by the National Cancer Intelligence Network (NCIN), suggests that spotting cancer early may be one of the key reasons.

The ‘All Breast Cancer’ report (PDF) is a comprehensive analysis of women with breast cancer. Its authors collated in-depth data on a wide range of factors, including how long women survived, how they were diagnosed, and their socio-economic background.

To make things easy to compare, they divided the women into five groups, ranging from the least deprived (or affluent) to the most deprived.

The report’s key finding is illustrated here:

Breast cancer survival by route of diagnosis and socio-economic background

Click to enlarge

Continue reading →

Our new mobile app to help spot cancer early

Posted on May 19, 2011 by Henry Scowcroft

Our 'signs and symptoms' app is now available

If you’re a regular on this blog, you’ll know all about our aim to see more cancers diagnosed at an earlier stage, when the chances of survival are much improved.

As it stands, cancer tends to be diagnosed at a later stage in this country than elsewhere. Partly as a result of this, our survival rates are poorer than some other parts of the world.

But changing this is no mean feat, as there are so many reasons why cancer might be diagnosed late. Researchers have been investigating how this picture could be changed, although the evidence for what actually works is still growing.

But at a broad level, there are three things that could make a big difference – public awareness, awareness in health professionals, and better access to diagnostic tests.

Continue reading →

Can regularly checking your breasts save your life?

Posted on August 1, 2008 by Henry Scowcroft

A study reported in the news this month had the potential to confuse many women about the benefits of checking their breasts for unusual changes.

Researchers from Denmark reported in a Cochrane Library Review that there is no evidence that breast cancer death rates are lower amongst women who regularly check their breasts.

But we know from several studies that it is mostly women themselves who first report symptoms that may later be diagnosed as breast cancer.

Although this may seem contradictory, it isn’t. The review doesn’t actually tell us anything new – the UK stopped advising a strict routine of breast self-examination back in 1991, and there’s lots of evidence supporting this decision.

Continue reading →