{"id":27163,"date":"2021-06-17T09:10:43","date_gmt":"2021-06-17T09:10:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.cancerresearchuk.org\/?p=23234"},"modified":"2024-11-03T15:14:53","modified_gmt":"2024-11-03T15:14:53","slug":"wales-4-in-10-with-possible-cancer-symptoms-didnt-contact-gp","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ogkologos.com\/en\/wales-4-in-10-with-possible-cancer-symptoms-didnt-contact-gp\/","title":{"rendered":"Wales: 4 in 10 with possible cancer symptoms didn\u2019t contact GP"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"GP<\/div>\n

New figures show 42.1% of people surveyed in Wales who experienced possible cancer symptoms in the first wave of the pandemic didn\u2019t contact their GP.<\/p>\n

In response, Cancer Research UK has launched Don\u2019t Ignore It<\/em>, a major awareness campaign urging people to contact their doctor if they are concerned about their health.<\/p>\n

Michelle Mitchell, chief executive of Cancer Research UK, said it\u2019s important for people who have noticed any unusual or persistent changes to know their doctor wants to hear from them and can see them safely.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn most cases it won\u2019t be cancer, but it\u2019s best to get it checked out because diagnosing cancer at an earlier stage means treatment is more likely to be successful.\u201d<\/p>\n

Why did people avoid seeing their GP?<\/h2>\n

The research, led by Cardiff University and Cancer Research UK, found the most common reasons for not seeking help were worrying about wasting the health professional\u2019s time (26%) and worrying about putting extra strain on the NHS (20%).<\/p>\n

\u201cDuring the first wave of the pandemic many people in Wales didn\u2019t seek help because they didn\u2019t want to add to NHS workload and were worried about wasting their doctor\u2019s time, but it\u2019s important people don\u2019t delay contacting their GP as finding cancer early can make all the difference,\u201d said Mitchell.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have heard reports of people struggling to get through to their GP practice to secure an appointment which can be frustrating, but please do keep trying.\u201d<\/p>\n

Finding it difficult to get an appointment with a particular healthcare professional (16.9%) and not wanting to be seen as someone who makes a fuss (15.7%) were other common reasons.<\/p>\n

Recent Welsh Government figures also show 20,000 fewer people were urgently referred for a possible cancer diagnosis between March and November 2020.<\/p>\n

\u201cPlease don\u2019t ignore it\u201d<\/h2>\n

Throat cancer<\/a> survivor Paul Evans, 52 from Aberdaron, is supporting the campaign as he knows how important early diagnosis can be.<\/p>\n

Paul was diagnosed with cancer in 2018 and admits he would have \u201cwaited for his symptoms to go away on their own\u201d if it wasn\u2019t for spotting a TV ad and his family telling him to see a GP, after having a persistent cough he thought was a common cold.<\/p>\n

Paul was prescribed antibiotics for a suspected infection and was told to make another appointment if his cough hadn\u2019t cleared.<\/p>\n

However, shortly after, Paul developed more symptoms.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy partner noticed a golf-ball sized lump in my neck,\u201d said Paul. \u201cI also woke up having a coughing fit like I\u2019d never experienced, and I must admit, I was starting to feel a bit concerned.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pauls\u2019 GP immediately referred him for further tests, revealing a tumour the size of an orange in his neck and a biopsy confirming a diagnosis of cancer in his throat and tongue.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I saw a nurse come into the room before the consultant spoke, I knew something wasn\u2019t right \u2013 and then when I was told it was cancer, it felt like a film. I heard talking but it was like everything had stopped and I was outside the room, looking in, it didn\u2019t feel real.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was also really hard telling my mother as my father sadly died of cancer and my uncle also had cancer.\u201d<\/p>\n

Paul went through surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy as part of his treatment, and is now cancer free. He thanks being diagnosed early for saving his life.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt hasn\u2019t been easy but I\u2019m so grateful for the treatment I received and that I\u2019m still here,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Paul hopes his story will encourage people to seek advice if they have any worrying symptoms.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was definitely the type of person that didn\u2019t like to make a fuss and I used to think my symptoms would just clear up on their own.<\/p>\n

\u201cWho knows what could have happened if I hadn\u2019t seen my GP? I feel extremely fortunate my cancer was caught early.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s why I\u2019m backing Cancer Research UK\u2019s Don\u2019t Ignore It campaign. If you\u2019re worried at all, just contact your GP \u2013 it could save your life.\u201d<\/p>\n

More on this topic<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n

Source<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

New figures show 42.1% of people surveyed in Wales who experienced possible cancer symptoms in the first wave of the pandemic didn\u2019t contact their GP. In response, Cancer Research UK has launched Don\u2019t Ignore It, a major awareness campaign urging people to contact their doctor if they are concerned about their health. Michelle Mitchell, chief […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5137],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-27163","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-world-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ogkologos.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27163","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ogkologos.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ogkologos.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ogkologos.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ogkologos.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=27163"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/ogkologos.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27163\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":43753,"href":"https:\/\/ogkologos.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27163\/revisions\/43753"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ogkologos.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27163"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ogkologos.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27163"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ogkologos.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27163"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}