Cancer is the biggest health concern among Britons – with late detection the biggest worry, poll shows
According to a survey, cancer is the biggest health problem among the population, with the biggest concern being its late detection.
Two-thirds of people say they would be very or somewhat worried if they were told they had the disease, more than for other medical conditions such as dementia or a heart attack.
The survey, which was conducted among 2,000 adults in the UK, found that late detection – too late to treat – is the biggest concern regarding a diagnosis, followed by the impact on someone’s family and community.
More than half of respondents said they would choose “being able to detect and treat cancer early enough so that no one dies from the disease” as the transformative development they would like to see in the future.
This was more important than eradicating diseases like malaria, making self-driving cars more common, and making it possible to end famine through genetically modified crops.
Professor Richard Gilbertson, director of the Cancer Research UK Cambridge Centre, said cancer is the number one concern among the public, with late detection the biggest worry, according to a new poll
The biggest concerns are that treatments won’t work or that the side effects will be terrible, as well as the impact on someone’s family, the poll found. Pictured: Cancer Research UK Cambridge Centre
The research was conducted by Public First on behalf of the University of Cambridgewho are working on the construction of a new hospital with a specialized cancer department.
“Cancer affects one in two people and understandably causes anxiety for patients and their families,” said Professor Richard Gilbertson, Director of the Cancer Research UK Cambridge Centre.
“People worry that the treatments won’t work or that the side effects will be terrible, but also what the diagnosis will mean for their family.”
When asked what would make them less afraid of being diagnosed, 61 percent said knowing which form of the disease they have is treatable.
“The outcomes could be completely transformative, with better survival rates and less invasive treatments if the cancer is detected early enough,” said Professor Rebecca Fitzgerald, Director of the Li Ka Shing Early Cancer Institute at the University of Cambridge.
‘That’s why we are now focusing on understanding cancer at its earliest stages: years before someone develops symptoms.
‘In this way it may even be possible to prevent the disease, or at least to contract it while it is still easy to treat.’
The poll, conducted among 2,000 British adults, revealed that late detection – too late to treat – is the biggest concern about a diagnosis, followed by the impact on someone’s family and those around them. Pictured: T cells attack a cancer cell in the body (file photo)