The Department for Public Health England has started an awareness campaign to educate all and sundry about the damage that lung cancer is increasingly achieving on the citizenry and residents in England.
This strategic initiative was emphasised when African Voice met with Professor Kevin Fenton, Director of Health and Wellbeing at Public Health, England recently. He stated that that lung cancer’s incursion into an individual’s life is so subtle that one does not feel threatened at by the early symptoms of its presence. This is because these are usually simple ailments that one feels are attributable to domestic context and so could be negated naturally or by a trip to the pharmacist’s.
He expressed concerns as well for people of the ethnic minorities who are likely to show a tendency for negligence of the early warning symptoms, just like others. These symptoms which he advises should be reported to the GP, if nothing else but to be sure that it is not an indicator of lung cancer, include chiefly persistent cough that lasts beyond three weeks. Others are repeated chest infections, coughing up blood, breathlessness, weight loss for no apparent reason, persistent tiredness and aches or pain in chest/shoulder lasting for some time.
His department’s concern is buttressed by statistics which show that about 24,000 persons are diagnosed with lung cancer in England when it is already late. 15 per cent of these are diagnosed at the earliest stage and so enhancing the possibility of successful treatments. While it is currently England’s biggest cancer killer, causing around 28,000 deaths each year, people with diagnosis at the ‘earliest stage are five times more likely to survive lung cancer for at least five years than those diagnosed at a late stage.’
Professor Fenton then made a point of stating that lung cancer does not respect any race of people and also that persons of the age of 50 years and above are usually prone to it. He adds that smoking constitutes a major risk factor for lung cancer but statistics indicate that around one in eight people with lung cancer has never smoked. He thus advised that people should mind making others passive smokers particularly children.
While this is part of the policy thrust and action of the NHS Be Clear on cancer campaign, Professor Fenton posits that “More needs to be done to raise awareness of the signs of lung cancer and overcome the fears preventing people presenting early to their doctors so that we can save more lives across all communities.
“Only by increasing awareness of potential symptoms, and encouraging people to visit their doctor sooner rather than later, will we see the number of early diagnoses, and people surviving the disease, start to rise.”
He admits the worry that about 19% of people aged 50 and above admit they have not visited their when they have had persistent coughs doctor in the past. A pre-disposition to this trend by others will rather create victims of cancer than help them to life if they are faced with the symptom.
He further stated that other organisations are enjoined to work with the NHS Department even as Cancer Research, UK had partnered on this programme in the past. He was keen that as many organisations and agency as could be relevant in the campaign programme would be contacted or enjoined to co-operate towards the public sensitisation and outreach.
