Empower Yourself This World Cancer Day: Know Your Body and Get Yourself Checked

Spread the love

Desk report: On World Cancer Day, health professionals and faith leaders are coming together to emphasise the crucial importance of getting checked out by your GP if you notice anything in your body that could be a possible sign of cancer.

Scheduled for Tuesday 4th February, this year’s World Cancer Day aims to raise awareness about cancer prevention and mobilise action towards early detection. Alongside this, NHS England’s latest campaign encourages everyone to be aware of their bodies and to be able to spot potential cancer symptoms, which can lead to earlier diagnosis and treatment.

Anyone can get cancer, but finding it early makes it more treatable and could save your life. Checking your body regularly helps you to know what’s normal for you, and to notice anything that might seem different from usual. However, a recent survey by NHS England found that under half (46%) of South Asians regularly check for changes in their bodies.

Something that feels unusual, or a change in your health, could be a sign of cancer so we need to make checking our bodies part of our regular routine.

Dr Farzana Hussain

GP Dr Farzana Hussain sees World Cancer Day as the perfect opportunity for everyone in the community to start taking control of their health:

‘Cancer isn’t something we like to talk about or think about, but even if you’re fit and healthy, it’s important to be very aware of our bodies. Start checking yourself regularly so that you know what your body usually looks and feels like – then it’s much easier to spot any differences that might signal a problem.’

There are many different possible symptoms of cancer, including having tummy trouble – like diarrhoea or discomfort in that area – for more than three weeks, or blood in your urine, even just once. Unexpected weight loss or a cough for three weeks or more could also be a possible sign that needs investigating. The first step should always be to contact your GP to get checked out, but we often put off making an appointment and just hope the symptoms will go away.

The survey found that over two thirds of South Asian people (67%) would not contact their GP about heartburn or indigestion for three weeks or more, and three quarters (76%) would not contact their GP if they had unexplained night sweats – despite both of these being potential signs of cancer. Just over 1 in 5 would put off making an appointment because they wouldn’t want to waste NHS time or be a burden, and more than a third (38%) would want to be sure it was serious before contacting their GP.

Dr Hussain explains how vital it is to act quickly if you spot anything that could be a sign of cancer:

‘If you notice anything that could be a sign of cancer, your GP will want to see you. You won’t be wasting our time, but you could be saving your life. If your GP suspects cancer, they’ll refer you for tests – in most cases it may turn out to be nothing serious, but please get checked out immediately if there’s anything out of the ordinary for you – the sooner cancer is diagnosed, the better.’

Over half of South Asian survey respondents (53%) also said that family was one of the most important things in their life and 1 in 5 (20%) would worry about the possible impact on their family if they got bad news about their health.

Imam Sheikh Nuru Mohammed

Imam Sheikh Nuru Mohammed, is clear that checking for cancer symptoms goes hand in hand with family and faith:

‘Checking yourself regularly and seeing a GP for anything you may be worried about is part of our commitment to our religion and to family life. We cannot take anything for granted and we must take care of ourselves so that we can live a long and prosperous life’.

While over a third (37%) of South Asians say that they often put off a visit to the GP because they are afraid of the potential diagnosis, an overwhelming 87% – almost 9 in 10 – felt a sense of relief after the last time they had a health issue checked with their GP.

Ali

Ali Rofe is in remission from lymphoma – a type of blood cancer. He wants others to know how important it is to get checked:

‘God forbid if it’s cancer, it’s a race against time – the earlier it’s diagnosed, the better chance you have. We’ve got to look after ourselves and be vigilant about our bodies. It can be frightening to even think that you could have cancer, but it’s always better to know.’ 

This World Cancer Day, let’s all put our health first and get checked.

If something in your body doesn’t feel right, contact your GP practice. If your GP suspects cancer they’ll refer you for further tests. It’s probably nothing serious, but finding cancer early makes it more treatable and can save lives.

For more information on cancer signs and symptoms go to nhs.uk/cancersymptoms


Spread the love

Leave a Reply