A NEW health campaign to raise awareness of stomach and gullet cancers was launched on Thursday (April 26).
There are two simple symptoms of the cancers; having difficulty swallowing food, or having indigestion or heartburn most days for three weeks or more.
Local GP and Clinical Cancer Lead for Luton Clinical Commissioning Group, Dr Anthea Robinson, is championing the campaign.
She said: “Cancer caught early is easier to treat, which is why it is so important to get possible symptoms checked out quickly.
“Indigestion can happen to anyone, but persistent indigestion and/or heartburn symptoms do need checking out by a GP and if you have difficulty swallowing food, please make a GP appointment. It may turn out not to be serious, but if it is cancer, finding and treating it early will make a real difference.
“If you have a friend or family member who is experiencing symptoms, please do encourage them to talk to their GP too.”
Every year in England, nearly 7,000 people are diagnosed with oesophageal cancer and more than 6,000 people are diagnosed with stomach cancer.
Outcome for these cancers is quite low because many people are not aware of symptoms and often don’t seek help soon enough.
Barbara Gill is Director at the Mount Vernon Cancer Network, which brings together all the people and organisations involved in cancer care across Luton, south Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire.
She said: “Early detection is the best way of improving survival rates for all types of cancer. At the moment not enough people are aware of the symptoms of Oesophago-gastric cancer, which means that the disease is often diagnosed at a late stage when the cancer is more advanced and much more difficult to treat.