Alarm at cancer ignorance
Tuesday August 23rd, 2011
The British people knows very little about the country's third most common form of cancer, according to a major study published today.
The
public is also largely ignorant of the lifestyle changes that can prevent
bowel cancer, according to the study of some 1,500 people.
Researchers set out to find out how much people knew about the symptoms of the disease.
About 110 people are diagnosed daily with the disease and efforts to screen for it are being stepped up.
The researchers, who report their findings in the journal BMC Cancer, say few people would think to look for a lump - in the right abdomen - that might identify the disease.
Not many people know that tiredness is also a key symptom because of the bleeding the cancer can cause.
There was also little knowledge that diet, a healthy weight and exercise can reduce the risk of disease.
The researchers found women were more alert than men to symptoms - but men were more conscious of the need to keep healthy.
Researcher Dr Emily Power, of University College London, said: “This study reveals that the public’s awareness of bowel cancer symptoms is still stubbornly low, particularly among older adults who are at most risk of the disease.
“It also shows there is a long way to go in ensuring people understand the link between having a healthy lifestyle and cancer risk.
"Public health initiatives to increase awareness of risk factors are essential, and not only for lowering cancer risk. Improving attitudes towards healthy behaviour can go some way towards reducing other diseases triggered by unhealthy lifestyles.”
Sara Hiom, of Cancer Research UK, said: “Raising awareness about bowel cancer could in turn encourage people to take up their invitation for bowel screening and improve early detection of the disease.
“This is vital if we are to reduce the number of premature deaths from bowel cancer. When the disease is diagnosed at the earliest stage there is an excellent chance of survival."
Assessing awareness of colorectal cancer symptoms: Measure development and results from a population survey in the UK. Power, E et al. BioMed Central Cancer August 23 2011
Tags: Cancer | Diet & Food | Fitness | Gastroenterology | UK News
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