Awareness and early diagnosis

Humber and North Yorkshire Cancer Alliance seeks to improve cancer survival rates by ensuring more people are diagnosed at an earlier stage, and by improving cancer awareness and uptake of screening.

Almost 20,000 people in the Humber and North Yorkshire area are diagnosed with cancer each year. This is a rate significantly higher than the England average. Patients who are diagnosed earlier have a better chance of being treated successfully for cancer and surviving for longer. If cancer is diagnosed early, there is an 81% chance of survival. If diagnosed late, the chance of survival drops dramatically to 26%.

By raising awareness of the signs and symptoms of cancer in the general population and optimising clinical systems to improve access to diagnostics, we can improve the rates of early diagnosis and treatment of cancers.

Please click here for a list of cancer awareness dates throughout 2024.

NHS Targeted Lung Health Checks

Hull was selected as one of the sites to be the first to implement the NHS Targeted Lung Health Check (TLHC) programme. After a successful rollout in Hull, the programme has now launched in North East Lincolnshire, East Riding of Yorkshire and North Lincolnshire.

The TLHC programme invites people who are between the age of 55 and 75 (74 years and 364 days), smokers or former smokers, that are registered with a GP for a ‘lung MOT’.

Cancer Champions

One of the ways we are raising awareness is through our Cancer Champions training programme. Anyone and everyone can be a Cancer Champion – it’s about real people raising awareness about cancer in their community. Our free half day training session or two-part virtual sessions, cover the key facts, statistics, symptoms and screenings which are linked to a number of cancers.

Click here for more information and to sign up to a free Cancer Champions awareness session.

Faecal Immunochemical Testing (FIT)

The NHS recently rolled out a new bowel cancer screening test (FIT – faecal immunochemical test) as part of the NHS Bowel Cancer Screening Programme in England and the Humber and North Yorkshire Cancer Alliance has supported the implementation of FIT into primary care throughout our area.

Better sensitivity of FIT in comparison to gFOBT testing will lead to earlier detection of polyps and improved prevention of colorectal cancer. GPs across our area will have direct access to FIT to speed up ruling out a cancer diagnosis.

Click here to find out more.

Breast pain clinics

Breast pain alone where there are no other symptoms, is not a symptom of cancer, although it can cause a lot of understandable anxiety.