News relevant to awareness and earlier diagnosis of cancer

NAEDI newsletters are published twice a year and update on key NAEDI activity. Past and current issues can be downloaded on the NAEDI news page. 

Following the successful piloting of a regional bowel cancer awareness campaign ‘Be Clear on Cancer’ in the East and South West of England earlier this year, the Government has announced a national roll out. In January 2012, a national campaign will run across England which will feature real GPs encouraging patients to talk to them about changes in their poo. The campaign aims to make people aware of the early signs of bowel cancer and give them confidence to discuss this with their GP.

In addition to the national bowel cancer campaign, the Department of Health will be piloting a 'Be Clear on Cancer' campaign on lung cancer across the East and West Midlands. This will launch in October and feature ads on local TV and radio that will encourage people with a persistent cough which lasts for more than three weeks to visit their GP to tell them about it.

• Read the press release
• Watch the bowel cancer TV advert used during the pilot
• Watch a video of Mike Richards who at the launch of the pilot explained the importance of the campaign

Over 60 Primary Care Trusts to trial new signs and symptoms campaigns

The Department of Health has announced that 18 projects (covering over 60 Primary Care Trusts) have been funded to trial cancer symptom awareness campaigns focusing on:
• Oesophago-gastric cancer
• the symptom blood in urine (a symptom common to kidney and bladder cancers)
• breast cancer in women over 70
• lung cancer

The funded projects will include a mixture of advertising, community engagement activities and working with health professionals to make sure the campaigns are appropriate to raise awareness of cancer in their local communities. All the campaigns will be using the Be Clear on Cancer brand with most of the public facing activity commencing in early 2012.

The funded projects will bring together an important mix of primary care trusts, cancer networks, public health networks, hospital trusts, local authorities and voluntary organisations. The activity will run in the following areas:

Oesophago-gastric cancer

• Dudley
• County Durham and Darlington
• Sandwell and Wolverhampton
• Wandsworth
• Newcastle, North Tyneside, Northumberland, North Cumbria, South Tyneside, Gateshead, Sunderland, Hartlepool, Middlesbrough, Redcar, Cleveland and Stockton-on-Tees
• Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Peterborough, Suffolk, Norfolk, Great Yarmouth and Waveney
• Hertfordshire, Luton and South Bedfordshire

Blood in urine symptom

• Nottingham
• Bristol, South Gloucestershire, North Somerset, Wiltshire, Somerset, Bath and North East Somerset
• Ashton, Leigh, Wigan, Bolton, Bury, Central and Eastern Cheshire, Heywood, Middleton, Rochdale, Manchester, Oldham, Salford, Stockport, Trafford, Tameside and Glossop

Breast cancer in women over 70

• Lambeth, Southwark and Lewisham
• Brent and Harrow
• Sheffield, Doncaster, Barnsley, Rotherham and Bassetlaw
• Cumbria, Central Lancashire, North Lancashire, Blackpool, East Lancashire, Blackburn with Darwen
• Berkshire East and Berkshire West
• Medway
• Brighton and Hove

Lung cancer

• Barnet, Camden, Enfield, Haringey, Islington and West Essex

More details on the projects will be available soon.

An exciting new project to examine the nature and duration of symptoms experienced by people with cancer before their diagnosis is under way. The National Cancer Action Team and Cancer Research UK are funding the project which will involve people who took part in the Cancer Patient Experience Survey in early 2010.

67,713 people with cancer took part in the Cancer Patient Experience Survey in 2010 and 53,104 said they were willing to be recontacted to provide further information. Postal questionnaires will be sent to people who were diagnosed with one of 20-25 cancer types. The data provided in these questionnaires will help us to:

• describe the nature of symptoms that patients experienced before their cancer diagnosis
• measure the interval between the first onset of symptoms and first seeking medical advice
• describe the barriers to seeking medical advice

Professor Amanda Ramirez and Dr Lindsay Forbes are providing scientific leadership of the project. The survey fieldwork will be carried out by Quality Health, who conducted the 2010 Cancer Patient Experience Survey.

This project is a unique opportunity to add to the limited evidence base on the frequency and nature of symptoms experienced prior to a cancer diagnosis and the time interval between first noticing symptoms and presenting to the health service.

Please contact Beth.Capper@dh.gsi.gov.uk at the Department of Health or Dr Reg Race at Quality Health (reg.race@quality-health.co.uk) for more information about this project.

A campaign harnessing the power of influencers has been launched by Cancer Research UK.

The 'Do me a favour' campaign aims to raise awareness of the key signs and symptoms of cancer and the importance of seeking advice for unusual or persistent changes amongst the over 50s. The campaign asks influencers (eg adult off-spring, friends and relatives) to send a personalised film from celebrities such as Gary and Danielle Lineker to people they care about (eg their Dad, brother, Mum or cousin). 

The importance of influencers in encouraging help-seeking was highlighted in the NAEDI 'Insight' research, conducted by Cancer Research UK and the Department of Health in 2010. 

The first anecdotal evidence from NCAT’s pilot lung and bowel cancer risk assessment tool (RAT) suggests GPs find it useful.

Designed as a mouse mat and desk top ‘easel’, the tool is being trialled in 131 general practices in seven cancer networks. Macmillan is working on a parallel project to incorporate the risk assessment tool into software used by GPs.

The tool, which was developed from Professor Willie Hamilton’s CAPER studies (Cancer Prediction in Exeter), shows the risk for each symptom on its own and each combination of cancer symptoms, in a useful grid. GPs taking part in the trial are asked to complete a six-question tear sheet each time they use the tool in a consultation.

The tool has been piloted in seven Cancer Networks and full evaluation results are expected in November. Initial findings show that one of the main challenges was keeping the tool in GPs’ minds. Most cancer networks sent out regular newsletters to remind people about the tool and contacted practices that had not sent in tear sheets. One of the benefits of the tool is that it can aid the discussion of risk with patients, and in making a referral, can help them understand that they were being referred for a possible cancer, which in turn makes it more likely they will attend their subsequent appointment.

For more information about the risk assessment tool contact Claire Morris on Claire.morris@ncat.nhs.uk