‘How to HELP your gp detect cancer’

According to recent headlines, thousands of patients are diagnosed with cancer in A&E despite having seen their GP – Dr C reveals why

t sounds scary, I but it’s entirely possible for someone to see their GP once or twice and not be diagnosed with cancer, mainly because we don’t rush that diagnosis. A GP might see some types of cancer once a month; others twice in their whole career. Your symptoms are more likely to be something else. We run tests, send off samples and work through the most likely scenarios down to the least likely.

GET YOUR CONCERNS ADDRESSED

Doctors are good at diagnosing breast and skin cancers because they see them regularly, but others, like ovarian cancer, are harder to detect because the symptoms – bloating, tummy discomfort, extreme tiredness – are easily missed by both patients and doctors.

More than 90% of women diagnosed with the earliest stage of ovarian cancer survive for at least five years, but only 5% of women diagnosed with the most advanced stage do.

The research also showed that a third of the people hadn’t been to the doctor at all – that’s fear.

People can have something as obvious as a lump in their breast and don’t see the doctor because they’re scared. Embarrassment is a problem, too; people don’t want to admit to symptoms like blood in their poo, or they have a couple of niggles but only discuss one. Before going, write down your biggest concerns so that you definitely get those answered.

Remember, we are led by patients. So if you say: “I’ve got a bad tummy, it’s probably something I ate,” we’ll focus on the “something I ate” bit. Give us as much information as you can, then let us work it out. Also know your family history, and if you have to wait two weeks for an appointment, keep a symptom diary in that time.

Question anything you’re unclear on and ask your GP to write things down for you. If you think your GP is overlooking something significant, question why. Also, it’s OK to ask for a second opinion – no doctor is perfect.

KNOW THE SYMPTOMS

Recent research suggested there are “red flag” cancer symptoms people don’t know about – these include lumps, coughing for more than three weeks, chest pain, blood in your poo, pain in your stomach, bloating, unexplained diarrhoea or constipation, blood between periods, changes to moles or unexplained weight loss. It’s a doctor’s job to identify those, but the better you understand your body, the quicker things get picked up. If something is bothering you – ask.