Common Cancers: What to Look Out For

Cancer rates in the UK have reached an all-time high of over 400,000 cases annually. The “Cancer in the UK 2026” report by Cancer Research UK details how the number of cancer cases has increased over the past 2-3 years, in men by 11% and women by 4%.

Some of this can be explained by people living longer and our ageing population: as we get older our risk of cancer increases, however other factors such as improved detection at an earlier stage by GPs play an important role, as do behaviours of smoking, drinking and over-eating. Here Dr Nick Dunn talks through the most common types of cancer and what symptoms we should all be looking out for.

The big four cancers are prostate, breast, bowel and lung cancer. Three out of ten women affected by cancer have breast cancer, and the same proportion of men affected have prostate cancer. Despite this increase, cancer deaths have not increased, thought due to earlier detection and improved cancer treatments. Whereas in the 1970’s only 1 in 4 people diagnosed with cancer survived for 10 years or more, nowadays more than 1 in 2 people with cancer live for more than 10 years after diagnosis.

It is chilling to read that around 40% of cancer deaths are thought to be preventable through changes in how we live, and some of the behaviours we indulge in as young adults can go on to have an impact much later in life. The main causes of increased cancer risk include smoking, obesity, alcohol, red meat consumption, sun exposure and even stress is thought to contribute. Unfortunately, lung cancer, which is mainly caused by smoking still kills around 32,000 British people every year. This is partly because in the early stages it can go unnoticed, and by the time people have symptoms it may have spread throughout the lungs and beyond.  

In contrast, being aware of the early signs of breast, bowel or prostate cancer are thought to be very important in early diagnosis and treatment which can have a big impact on survival:

Breast cancer – what should women look out for?

·      Lump – in the breast, armpit or chest wall

·      Skin changes – dimpling or redness on the breast

·      Breast – changes in size or shape

·      Nipple – discharge or eczema around the edges, or being pulled inward

·      Pain – ongoing pain in the breast or armpit

On Guernsey mammograms are available to women age between 50-75 every two years. These are free and do not require a GP referral. They are X-rays of the breasts which can pick up changes even before a lump can be felt.

Bowel cancer – what are the tell-tale signs?

·      Blood – in the poo or from the bottom

·      Changed bowel habit – going more or less often

·      Tenesmus – feeling need to poo after going to the toilet

·      Pain – lower tummy or at the bottom, which doesn’t settle

·      Bloating

·      Weight loss that is not intended

·      Breathlessness – can be a sign of anaemia due to invisible blood loss

As in the UK, Guernsey has a bowel screening programme using the FIT test. People aged 60-70 years old are asked to do this every two years.

Prostate cancer – What are the clues for men?

·      Frequency – going to pee more often than usual

·      Urgency – difficulty holding on for the toilet

·      Hesitancy – difficulty getting start to pee

·      Straining – pushing hard to pass urine

·      Flow – reduced when peeing

·      Fullness – feeling of a full bladder after peeing

·      Blood – in semen or urine

Although there is no screening programme for men, the UK government offer men a PSA blood test if they request. This is a protein in the blood which can be raised with prostate cancer, but can sometimes be raised for other reasons, such as infection or enlarged prostate. If getting tested for PSA it is best discussed with your GP first as there can be false negatives and false positives.

A really important message from the Cancer Research UK report was that the foundations for cancer prevention are laid down in our early adult lives, even though the majority of cancer diagnoses are made in those over the age of 50. In addition to avoiding behaviours which increase cancer risk, there are positive lifestyle factors which can help people feel better in themselves while lowering their future risk of cancer. These include regular physical activity, high fibre diets, low red meat intake, eating beans, pulses and vegetables and recognising and managing stress.

If you, or someone close to you has worrying symptoms which are not going away, see your GP to arrange an examination and consider investigations. It’s never too late. You can book an appointment online here.