Thousands of people may be dismissing symptoms of cancer as "trivial", researchers claimed today.
The symptoms are known as "red flag" signs or alarm signs as under current guidelines patients should get a GP to check them.
A survey of people over the age of 50 in three London practices found that more than half had experienced these kind of symptoms.
Some 1,700 people took part in the survey and were asked if they had experienced any of 17 symptoms. Ten of the symptoms, such as persistent cough or unexplained lumps, were chosen because they should trigger a check for cancer.
As any as 900 people claimed to have experienced one of these alarm systems, according to the report in the British Journal of General Practice.
Researchers based in London and Hull followed the survey by in-depth interviews with 50 of the patients and found that nearly half had not seen a doctor about the symptoms.
They found a range of reasons for not going to the doctor but top among these was concern that they did not want to "make a fuss" and that the symptoms were trivial.
Researcher Dr Katriina Whitaker, of University College, London, said: "The stiff-upper-lip stoicism of some who decided not to go to their doctor was alarming because they put up with often debilitating symptoms.
"Some people made the decision to get symptoms checked out after seeing a cancer awareness campaign or being encouraged to do so by family or friends – this seemed to almost legitimise their symptoms as important.”
Dr Richard Roope, a GP adviser with Cancer Research UK, said: “The advice we give is: if in doubt, check it out – this would not be wasting your GP’s time. Often your symptoms won’t be caused by cancer, but if they are, the quicker the diagnosis, the better the outcome.
"Seeking prompt advice from your GP about symptoms, either on the phone or during an appointment, could be a life-saver, whatever your age."
Leave a Reply