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Awareness and Early Diagnosis

Awareness of cancer and its symptoms is one of the keys to early diagnosis. Early diagnosis can save lives. Read here about some of the awareness and early diagnosis work taking place in Humber, Coast and Vale.

Jan 17
Beckie, a girl in her mid-20s, standing in front of a canal in Prague, smiling at the camera. It's night time and the canal is lit up.

Beckie’s story: My cervical screening experience

By Awareness and Early Diagnosis

Beckie, 26, attended her very first cervical screening appointment in August 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Here, Beckie shares her experience of visiting her GP practice with the new measures in place, what’s happened since then, and explains why it’s so important to attend an appointment if you’re invited.

Cervical cancer often has no early symptoms, which makes it difficult to spot when treatment can be most effective. Because of this, the best way to prevent and treat cervical cancer is by attending a cervical screening appointment when invited.

The appointment

When I received my invitation, my first port of call was Jo’s Trust; a cervical cancer charity aiming to provide useful and accurate information on cervical cancer to women and people with a cervix. In the UK, we are invited for a cervical screening appointment (you may have also heard of it being called a smear test) from the ages 25 to 64. Most people receive their first invite up to six months before their 25th birthday, which is exactly when one dropped through my letterbox, too.

When I attended my first appointment, a lot of NHS services have been put on hold or changed because of the COVID-19 pandemic, so my experience was a little different to what others may have had in the past. Cervical screening appointments were safely going ahead, however, so on the 11th August, I jumped in the car and headed to Hessle Grange Medical Practice for my very first appointment.

Beckie, a girl in her mid-20s,, smiling at the camera. She has blonde hair that's just longer than her shoulders, blue eyes and a piercing in her left nostril.

Beckie says her cervical screening appointment was too important to miss.

When I arrived, I was met by signs asking patients to put on their face covering, as well as a hand sanitiser station for me to use. There were clear markings on the floor to show you where to stand to maintain social distancing, and the reception was guarded by a Perspex screen. Many of the waiting room chairs had been taped across so that those waiting could easily keep their distance from other patients.

I was directed to another waiting room, closer to where I’d have my appointment, and the seating again was well spaced out.

I was called into my appointment where the two nurses were also wearing face masks and protective gloves. They instantly made me feel so comfortable, as I’d heard a lot of different things about the cervical screening procedure which had left me feeling a little anxious.

The nurses explained to me exactly what was going to happen and what I could expect to feel. Naturally, I was still a little nervous but felt confident I was in good hands.

The full screening from start to finish lasted less than five minutes. As the sample was taken, I experienced less than 30 seconds of mild discomfort and felt no pain whatsoever. The nurses talked to me throughout to take my mind off of what was happening and I can honestly say the anxiety building up to the appointment totally outweighed the actual experience.

My results

A few weeks after the appointment, I received a letter with my results and found out I had HPV. The letter said it was nothing to worry about as HPV is common and often goes away on its own – I would just have to attend another screening appointment a year later, rather than the expected three.

A year passed and I attended my follow-up cervical screening appointment. I felt less nervous than the first time because I knew what to expect, and while this time was a little more uncomfortable, it was over quickly. Three weeks later, I received a letter to let me know I was still HPV-positive and now had some abnormal cells. Because of the abnormal cells, I was invited for a colposcopy.

The colposcopy appointment was very similar to my other experiences. Two assisting nurses were there, one who was chatting to me throughout the appointment, plus the colposcopist. They explained that the appointment was to take a closer look at my cervix and the abnormal cells so they were able to make a decision on our next steps. During the appointment, the colposcopist used a microscope to check my cervix, performed a test with liquid dye, and took a biopsy. I was nervous about the biopsy, but it honestly didn’t feel that bad.

Eight weeks later, I received a letter with my results. I had CIN1 cell changes meaning, rather than receiving treatment, I would continue to be monitored. I will attend another cervical screening in a year and, with the help of the healthcare professionals, decide on my next steps from there!

To others in my position, I would say that this appointment is too important to miss. A moment of slight discomfort is nothing compared to the damage and pain that cervical cancer could cause. For me, being in the know about what is going on with my body alleviates any worries I had about going to the appointment.

There is nothing embarrassing about doing this, and definitely nothing to worry about. I would encourage anyone who receives the letter to go to their appointment – it could be what saves your life!

Note from Humber, Coast and Vale Cancer Alliance

Cervical cancer is when abnormal cells in the lining of the cervix grow in an uncontrolled way and eventually form a growth or tumour. If not caught early, cancer cells gradually grow into the surrounding tissues and may spread to other areas of the body(1). In Yorkshire and the Humber and Humber, Coast and Vale, 29% of cervical cancers are detected through screening(2).

Cervical cancer often has no early symptoms, which is why it’s important to attend a cervical screening when you’re invited.

If you experience symptoms of cervical cancer at any time, even if you’ve recently attended a screening appointment, get in touch with your GP. Your symptoms might not be cancer, but you should never ignore them. For more information on cervical cancer, visit https://www.jostrust.org.uk/

Early diagnosis saves lives.

  1. Definition from Cancer Research UK: https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/cervical-cancer/about
  2. Statistic from Yorkshire Cancer Research’s Summary Report 2020
Oct 16

Modern screening can be more personalised and convenient to save lives says new report

By Awareness and Early Diagnosis

The NHS has the opportunity to upgrade cancer screening to save thousands more lives each year, a major report said today.

Leading expert Professor Sir Mike Richards was jointly commissioned by NHS chief executive Simon Stevens and Health and Social Care Secretary Matt Hancock to make recommendations on overhauling national screening programmes, as part of a new NHS drive for earlier diagnosis and improved cancer survival.

In his report, Sir Mike, who was the NHS’ first cancer director as well as the CQC’s chief inspector of hospitals, called for people to be given much greater choice over when and where they are screened.

Women should be able to choose appointments at doctors’ surgeries, health centres or locations close to their work during lunchtime or other breaks rather than having to attend their own GP practice.

Local screening services should put on extra evening and weekend appointments for breast, cervical and other cancer checks.

NHS Targeted Lung Health Checks will take place on a mobile unit.

And as people lead increasingly busy lives, local NHS areas should look at ways that they can provide appointments at locations that are easier to access.

The plan for more convenient checks comes as NHS England is gearing up to roll out lung health checks using scanners on trucks in supermarket carparks and other public spaces.

Sir Mike’s report also called for more to be done to drive uptake through social media campaigns and text reminders. And it called for local initiatives that have successfully boosted uptake to be rolled out nationwide.

In South West London where GP practices have been following up with people who did not attend bowel screening phone calls and reminder letters have led to a 12% increase in attendance. Posting in Facebook community groups has led to a 13% increase in first time attendances for breast screening in Stoke-on-Trent over the past four years.

Sir Mike also recommended a major overhaul to the design of screening programmes.

The NHS is currently upgrading the cervical screening programme with the introduction of ‘primary HPV’ which will reduce the number cervical smears that NHS labs need to review.

The bowel screening programme is being upgraded by NHS England with a new easier to use ‘FIT’ poo test.

And the £200 million of extra NHS diagnostics investment announced by the Government will upgrade and replace older mammography and diagnostic imaging equipment.

Initial allocations are being made today to NHS providers with equipment that most needs replacing.

These steps all contribute to the NHS Long Term Plan goal of saving an extra 55,000 lives each year within a decade by catching three quarters of all cancers early when they are easier to treat.

Sir Mike welcomed the work NHS England, NHS Digital, Public Health England and NHSX are doing to upgrade ageing IT systems, adding that this process must continue.

This will help screening continue to change over the next decade, and the NHS needs to evolve to adapt to these changes, including the use of artificial intelligence to free up capacity for NHS staff and develop blood tests to screen for a range of cancers.

In future screening will become more personalised, where appropriate using genetics and other factors to determine the risk people face of developing cancer or other diseases and testing them appropriately.

His report also calls for:

  • Across all screening programmes, patients should receive results within a standard timetable
  • Establishing a single advisory body, bringing together the current functions of the UK National Screening Committee on population screening and NICE on screening for people at elevated risk of serious conditions
  • NHS England to become the single body responsible for commissioning and delivery of screening services, ending any existing confusion on who does what
  • Breast screening providers should aim to invite people at 34-month intervals after their previous appointment so that all participants can be screened within 36 months

Professor Sir Mike Richards said: “Screening programmes are a vital way for the NHS to save more lives through prevention and earlier diagnosis and currently they save around 10,000 lives every year – that is something to be immensely proud of.

“Yet we know that they are far from realising their full potential – people live increasingly busy lives and we need to make it as easy and convenient as possible for people to attend these important appointments.

“The recommendations in this report are intended to help deliver the commitments set out in the NHS Long Term Plan and will hopefully save even more lives.”

Simon Stevens, NHS chief executive said: “I’m grateful to Sir Mike for taking on this important assignment. His sensible recommendations keep all that is good about NHS screening services, while rightly setting out a blueprint for more convenient access, upgraded technology, and progressively more tailored approaches to early diagnosis.

“He is also right to point to the need to align the expert advice offered to the NHS, and streamline and simplify accountabilities for operational delivery.”

Health Secretary, Matt Hancock said:  

“I would like to record my thanks to Professor Richards for his brilliant report, which brings together a substantial number of recommendations.

“After careful consideration, I can announce that Public Health England, our national public health agency, will host world-class scientific and expert advice on screening, building on its current role as host of the UK National Screening Committee. This expert advice will inform the delivery of national screening services by the NHS.”

Click here to view Professor Sir Mike Richards’ report of the Review of Adult Screening Programmes in England.

Oct 02

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month

By Awareness and Early Diagnosis

October is breast cancer awareness month, so we ask you to help raise awareness of the signs and symptoms we need to talk to our GP about. The signs and symptoms to look out for include:

  • a new lump or area of thickened tissue in either breast
  • a change in the size or shape of the breast(s)
  • bloodstained nipple discharge
  • a lump or swelling in your armpit(s)
  • dimpling on the skin of your breasts
  • a rash on or around your nipple

Breast cancer can also affect men, with the main symptom being a lump in the breast. Men should also talk to their GP if the nipple or skin around it changes, including an inverted nipple (the nipple is turning inwards), a sore or rash on the nipple, or discharge from the nipple. You should also see your GP about swollen glands in your arm pit.

Early diagnosis saves lives, so act now and talk to your GP if you have any signs or symptoms that you are worried about.

For more information visit the NHS breast cancer pages.

Jun 13

More convenient cancer screening services must be rolled out to boost uptake, says Professor Sir Mike Richards

By Awareness and Early Diagnosis

The NHS should roll out online booking, out of hours appointments and text reminders to boost the uptake of breast, cervical and other screening services, leading expert Professor Sir Mike Richards said today.

 

Sir Mike, who was the first NHS cancer director and is a former CQC chief inspector of hospitals, is leading a major overhaul of national cancer screening programmes as part of a renewed drive to improve care and save lives.

 

Increasing early detection of cancers when they are easier to treat is at the heart of the NHS’s Long Term Plan to upgrade services and make sure patients benefit from new technologies and treatments.

 

Sir Mike’s interim report, published today, calls for practical measures to be used across the NHS to make screening more convenient and reverse the long-standing decline in the proportion of people being tested.

 

Professor Sir Mike Richards said: “Our screening programmes have led the world and save around 9,000 lives every year.

 

“However, people live increasingly busy lives and we need to make having a screening appointment as simple and convenient as booking a plane ticket online.”

 

“The technology exists in many other walks of life and by adopting it across the NHS we can help identify even more cancers early when they are easier to treat and save more lives.”

 

Screening can help spot problems early before a person has any symptoms, when cancer is often easier to treat. In some cases, it can even prevent cancers from developing in the first place, by spotting people at risk.

 

The NHS sent people over 11 million invitations for screening last year but the proportion of women participating in cervical screening is at the lowest for a decade.

 

Sir Mike’s interim report states that the decline in the numbers of women taking up breast and cervical screening can be stopped and should be reversed as a priority.

 

The report says that outdated IT systems lead to problems with monitoring the quality of current screening programmes. IT will need to be radically upgraded across the country while maintaining public trust in how the NHS holds, shares and uses data.

 

Sir Mike also said that clarity is needed over the governance arrangements because the way responsibilities are divided between the NHS, Public Health England and the Department for Health is confused.

 

He will deliver his final report later in the summer with further recommendations on:

 

Future management, delivery and oversight of screening programmes

The use of Artificial Intelligence to free up workforce pressure

Increasing uptake of screening and making it more targeted in high risk communities

Professor Sir Mike Richards added: “The next stage of the review will focus on solutions to make screening services as effective as possible, looking at recent advances in technology, future management of the programmes and innovative approaches to selecting people for screening.”

 

There are three national cancer screening programmes in England.

 

Cervical screening – offered to women aged 25 to 64, with screening offered every three years for women aged up to 49 and every five years from 50 to 64.

Breast screening – offered to women aged 50 to 70, with women over 70 able to self-refer for screening.

Bowel screening – offered to men and women aged 60 to 74, and another bowel screening test offered to men and women at the age of 55 in some parts of England.

The work and recommendations of the independent review of cancer screening programmes has wider implications and the remit of the review will be extended to include a focus on other screening programmes and diagnostic capacity for cancer.

 

Click here to read Professor Sir Mike Richards full interim report.

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