Fears over lockdown effect on people with cancer symptoms
THE STAY At Home messaging employed by the Government during the coronavirus crisis could have “sent a strong message to the public that cancer can wait”, an expert has warned.
The comments come after a new study found that a significant number of people with potential symptoms of cancer did not seek medical help during the first six months of the pandemic.
Some did not even seek care for worrying signs like coughing up blood or an unexplained lump or bump.
Experts called for a concerted effort to remind the public that NHS services are open safely.
The NHS has already been running campaigns encouraging people to seek help for potential cancer symptoms.
It has raised particular concerns about a dip in the number of people being treated for lung cancer, warning that thousands fewer are being treated than would be expected.
A UK-wide survey found that nearly half of people who experienced possible cancer symptoms between March and August last year did not contact their GP.
Researchers from Cardiff University and Cancer Research UK examined the
7,543 people.
A total of 40.1 per cent of participants say they had experienced one potential symptom.
And among this group, 44.8 per cent of people did not contact their GP.
A Government spokesperson said: “Cancer diagnosis and treatment experiences of has remained a top priority throughout the pandemic, with 1.7 million urgent referrals and over 228,000 people starting treatment between March and December last year. We continue to urge people not to put their urgent health concerns on standby and come forward to their GP if they have symptoms.”
A GOLDEN egg made for a Cadbury’s treasure hunt in 1983 has sold at auction for £37,200.
Cadbury’s commissioned 12 golden eggs as part of its Creme Egg Conundrum, with participants solving cryptic clues to guide them to 12 secret locations across Britain.
There they could dig up a certificate entitling them to one of the golden eggs. But the competition had to be called off after complaints that people were digging up private land as they searched for the prizes.
The 22-carat gold egg which was sold at auctioneers Batemans of Stamford, in Lincolnshire, is a larger version of the 12 golden eggs.
This special 13th egg was awarded to a Cadbury’s retailer via a private draw for helping with the nationwide promotion.
It weighs just over 11oz (323.6g), is 3.3in (8.3cm) tall and was commissioned by Cadbury’s from royal goldsmiths Garrard & Co.
It is based on the front cover of the Cadbury’s Conundrum clue book, and incorporates elements of each of the 12 riddles which were intended to guide people to the secret sites where certificates were buried.
The egg had been sold for £17,200 at an auction in 2017, but it went under the hammer again after its owner died. It fetched £37,200, exceeding its £20,000 estimate. Auctioneer Greg Bateman said it was an “incredible piece of confectionery history”.