Public Health England has launched a new nationwide ‘Be Clear on Cancer’ campaign with the aim of raising awareness of the symptoms of lung cancer, other lung disease, and heart disease – all leading causes of death in England.
It is estimated that there are around 80,000 undiagnosed cases of lung cancer, 1 million cases of COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease – a common form of lung disease that includes emphysema and chronic bronchitis) and 600,000 undiagnosed cases of coronary heart disease.
The campaign is aimed at men and women aged 50 and over, as older people are most at risk of lung cancer, COPD and heart disease. As part of the campaign a new film has been released that features real people sharing their personal experience of their conditions and a GP highlighting the signs and symptoms associated with these diseases http://po.st/FTSYVt.
Professor Kevin Fenton, Public Health England National Director for Health and Wellbeing said: “The estimated number of people with undiagnosed lung cancer, lung disease or heart disease, is deeply concerning. If diagnosed early, these diseases can be managed and treated successfully.
“This campaign is crucially important to South Asian communities as we know there is an increased risk of heart disease amongst these groups and smoking increases the risk of lung cancer and COPD, a common form of lung disease. The campaign will help people recognise the symptoms and encourage them to seek help, potentially saving lives from what are three of the biggest causes of death in England.”
Dr Jyoti Sood, GP at Newbury Park, Redbridge featured in the film said: “People may put off visiting their GP for a number of reasons. Some may not realise a symptom like a persistent cough or getting out of breath doing things that you used to be able to do could be a sign of something serious, they may be fearful of what they will find out, or even worry about wasting their GP’s time.
“Anyone who has either of these symptoms should visit their GP – don’t worry about wasting our time, we want to see you. The more people we can encourage to get their symptoms checked, the more likely they are to be diagnosed earlier and treated successfully.”
The film can be viewed at http://po.st/FTSYVt and is also available in Hindi and Bengali. It will be aired across Black and Asian TV channels from Thursday 21st July and run until 16th October. For further information about the signs and symptoms of lung cancer, lung disease and heart disease, search ‘Be Clear on Cancer’.
