Latest news with #ResearchUK
The Sun
22-04-2025
- Health
- The Sun
One in 3 put off a GP visit for worrying cancer symptoms for half a YEAR – the 18 signs you should NEVER ignore
A THIRD of Brits put off getting potential cancer symptoms checked for six months or more, a disturbing poll found. Around 350,000 new cases of cancer are diagnosed every year in England from more than three million tests. 1 Medics want to catch more in the early stages but tens or even hundreds of thousands of people could be keeping quiet about red-flag symptoms. A survey by Cancer Research UK found 32 per cent of people who noticed a possible sign of cancer did not seek medical help for at least half a year. Four in 10 did not go to their GP - which the NHS advises as the first step. It means tumours could be allowed to grow while patients dither over getting checked. In most cases it won't be cancer but, if it is, finding it early can make a real difference Dr Neil SmithCancer Research UK GP NHS GP and Cancer Research spokesman Dr Neil Smith said: 'This is very concerning. 'Trusting your instincts and getting checked promptly is crucial. 'If it is cancer, the longer you wait, the more chance it has to grow and spread.' The charity surveyed 7,000 people across the UK. Dr Smith said people hesitate to call their doctor out of fear for their health, of wasting the GP 's time or failing to get seen. He added: 'You know your body best, so talk to your doctor if something doesn't look or feel quite right. 'Even if it's challenging to get an appointment at first, keep trying. 'Your doctor will want to hear about your concerns and you won't be wasting their time. 'In most cases it won't be cancer but, if it is, finding it early can make a real difference.' General symptoms of cancer can include feeling tired all the time, losing weight for no reason, aches and pains that don't go away or a new lump on your body. Breast cancer might cause changes to how your chest feels, lung cancer can trigger a lingering cough and bowel tumours might make your poo unusual. NHS figures show fewer than half of us check our bodies monthly. Catching cancer in the early stages is the key to curing it and survival rates are much better before a tumour has spread. Professor Peter Johnson, cancer director at NHS England, said: 'I encourage everyone to make checking your body for changes a part of your routine. 'If you do spot something worrying, get in touch with your GP surgery. 'It might just save your life.'
BBC News
19-04-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Doctor living a decade with cancer says every day is precious
A doctor given 18 months to live in 2015 has celebrated the decade since her devastating cancer diagnosis by ticking off a bucket list and says "every day is precious".Ten years ago, Mari Isdale, from Eccles, Salford, was rushed to the A&E department during her shift at Tameside Hospital after suddenly experiencing crippling stomach then 31-year-old said a scan found a tumour "the size of a watermelon" in her abdomen and she was told she had stage four bowel cancer which had spread to her 42, she is backing new £5.5m research to transform bowel cancer care by finding kinder and better treatments. Ms Isdale had to have part of her bowel as well as both of her ovaries removed as part of her treatment, which she said destroyed her dreams of having children of her faced four major operations to remove multiple tumours in her abdomen followed by chemotherapy and targeted therapy drug cetuximab, which was in an early stage of Isdale, who lives with husband Babur Ahmed and their dog, Angus, said: "When they first scanned me to see what was causing the pain I saw this huge mass the size of a watermelon."I'd no idea how it was hiding in there but I knew straight away it was bad. "It was very unexpected as I was healthy and I had no family history of cancer. Despite this, I still found myself with advanced bowel cancer."After a brief period of remission in 2018, the disease spread to her lymph nodes and she has been back on treatment since is thankful to Cancer Research UK which helped develop and fund cetuximab for "every precious beautiful day" she has enjoyed since. "Thanks to research I have been able to spend lots of special time with my family and loved ones making special memories," she Isdale has ticked off what she calls her YOLO (You Only Live Once) list which has seen her travel the world including New York, a family trip to see the pyramids in Egypt and hot air ballooning with her husband over the fairy chimneys in Turkey. "I was able to go on to live an amazing, fulfilling, active and happy life despite cancer," she said."I now don't wait for plans; on my good days I really live life." 'A lot of hope for the future' She is now lending her support to a new £5.5m initiative, part funded by Cancer Research UK, made up of a newly formed world-leading research team that aims to transform bowel cancer CRC-STARS* initiative will bring together over 40 research experts joining forces from the UK, Spain, Italy and Belgium to find kinder, better treatments for the disease, which kills 16,800 people in the UK every combined expertise across multiple research areas, the project will pair clinical trial data with cutting-edge Research UK chief executive Michelle Mitchell, said it was of the most comprehensive projects for bowel cancer it had supported. "Together with our funding partners – the Bowelbabe Fund, Bjorn and Inger Saven and the FCAECC – we can empower the CRC-STARS team to speed up the development of personalised treatment for people living with bowel cancer, bringing us closer to a world where people live longer, better lives, free from the fear of cancer." Cancer Research UK's National Biomarker Centre in Manchester is set to receive more than £550,000 as part of the Florent Mouliere who is leading the research team in Manchester said the team was "very excited" to be said over the next five years the team would analyse blood and plasma samples from colorectal cancer patients at different stages of treatment, then look at DNA to identity patterns to discover how they resisted or responded to treatment. He said liquid biopsy was less invasive than a tissue biopsy and they could take multiple samples from the same patient "so we can start to understand the evolution of cancer and create the next generation of more personalised treatment".Ms Isdale said the project "gives a lot of hope for the future" and believed it would make a difference to patients "because at the moment we are offered a range of treatment, and we hope for the best, but we don't know if they will work". Listen to the best of BBC Radio Manchester on Sounds and follow BBC Manchester on Facebook, X, and Instagram. You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230.
BBC News
06-04-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Over-50s in Cambridgeshire urged to attend bowel cancer screening
A hospital trust in Cambridgeshire is urging people over the age of 50 to take advantage of a bowel cancer screening is Bowel Cancer Awareness Month, and North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust (NWAFT) is promoting the importance of bowel health to visitors and patients at its hospitals in Peterborough and Research UK says bowel cancer is the fourth most common type, but Bowel Cancer UK says more than nine people in 10 can survive it when it is diagnosed teams at Peterborough City Hospital and Hinchingbrooke Hospital are advising visitors about the screening process, explaining the symptoms of bowel cancer and offering information on screening kits. In addition, the trust is supporting a nationwide initiative which has seen the screening age for bowel cancer lowered to 50 in means everyone aged between 50 and 74 is eligible to receive an at-home easy to use testing kit as part of NHS England's screening programme. Follow Peterborough news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
BBC News
08-03-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Tameside father: 'I survived cancer after five of my family died'
A father who has survived cancer three times after losing five family members due to a faulty gene has told how he has volunteered to be a "guinea pig" to help save others. David Wragg, 44, was diagnosed with cancer at the age of 16 after spotting a lump on his arm and later testing positive for the rare genetic condition Li-Fraumeni mother, grandfather, sister, aunt and uncle all died after they too were found to have the same faulty Wragg, of Ashton-Under-Lyne in Tameside, has now been told he is cancer-free and has agreed to "do anything I can" after joining scientists to be studied as part of research into the gene. He was speaking as researchers in Manchester are set to share £50m of renewed funding for work into early detection of hereditary to the NHS, people with Li-Fraumeni syndrome have a nine in 10 increased risk of developing specific types of cancer by the age of Wragg said his family became aware of the problem when his maternal grandfather died of bone cancer in the 1980s. He recalls being diagnosed with the same condition at 16 then finding out about the family history, later testing positive for the rare later he was warned he may lose his arm but a surgeon was able to save it, he made a good recovery and had a decade of being cancer-free before a second diagnosis at 28 after finding a small lump on his shoulder, he said. He once again needed while he was undergoing treatment, his mother Sharon Stones, was also diagnosed with spread to her lungs and she died months later at the age of 55. Mr Wragg then faced a third cancer diagnosis in 2015 following a regular MRI scan which detected a problem in his ribcage. An area of cancerous tissue was successfully removed and he made a speedy now remains cancer-free and told how he was delighted to become a father having been warned he may be infertile following all his treatment. He lives with his wife Sara and their seven-year-old son and daughter who is four."It's been an emotional rollercoaster and there have been some extremely difficult times," he he said he has "just cracked on" with his treatment and trusted in his doctors."I am lucky to be alive and to have two children which I never thought would be possible," he said there had been "unbelievable progress" in hereditary cancer research work in recent times."If I had been born just a decade earlier then I might not be here now," he Research UK and The University of Manchester are working with researchers from all around the world as part of the International Alliance for Cancer Early Detection. Dr Emma Woodward, a lecturer at the Manchester University, is focussing on hereditary cancers and how they develop and her team works closely with Mr Wragg due to his genetic part of the research work, Mr Wragg, who has taken part in trials, receives a full body scan annually to ensure he remains disease Woodward said the new research was "so exciting" because it was the "first time such global expertise has come together". She said genetic testing was "far more sophisticated and widely available" than even 20 years ago but "we still don't know exactly how that cancer develops and how to detect it early"."If we can improve earlier detection, then we can intervene and ultimately save lives," she David Crosby, of Cancer Research UK, added the research work in Manchester will make a "huge difference for future generations".Mr Wragg said he was "up for doing anything I can" to help, and was happy to be a "guinea pig" to for others "including my children" in the future. Listen to the best of BBC Radio Manchester on Sounds and follow BBC Manchester on Facebook, X, and Instagram and watch BBC North West Tonight on BBC iPlayer.
BBC News
15-02-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Sheffield scientists developing 'breath test' for cancer
An aggressive form of cancer could be detected earlier through a simple breath test being developed by researchers from Sheffield Hallam are working on a test to spot signs of cancers including mesothelioma, a disease primarily affecting the lungs and almost always caused by exposure to asbestos, before symptoms said lives could be saved through the early detection and treatment of Sarah Haywood-Small, associate head of university's school of biosciences and chemistry, said the work was "an encouraging step forward". The tests have been developed in a laboratory on cells that have been treated with cancerous cells gave off compounds which could be detected in breath, according to the so-called "red flags" were shown to be significant markers of cancer, appearing much sooner than most symptoms and acting as a type of "fingerprint", the scientists Research UK, which has put more than £70,000 into the project, said the findings could also potentially help detect other cancers linked to inflammation, including laryngeal and ovarian cancer.A spokesperson for the charity said doing a breath test would be a non-invasive way to regularly check people for early signs of disease. Dr Haywood-Small said more research was still needed but initial results showed the team was "on track to develop a more effective diagnostic approach"."The human breath contains valuable biological information—offering a window into our body's metabolism," she said."By learning to read these signals, we can detect diseases earlier, monitor conditions more accurately, and potentially save lives."Listen to highlights from South Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North or tell us a story you think we should be covering here.
