13 Sep 2019

St Helens GP and Clinical Lead for Cancer, Dr Paul Rose, is calling on residents to familiarise themselves with the symptoms of blood cancer to help improve rates of early diagnosis during Blood Cancer Awareness Month this September.

A leading St Helens doctor is calling on residents to familiarise themselves with the symptoms of blood cancer to help improve rates of early diagnosis.

September is Blood Cancer Awareness Month and NHS St Helens Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) is raising awareness of the symptoms of blood cancer, in an attempt to improve early diagnosis rates and save lives.

Blood cancer does not describe a single condition, but rather a group of conditions, which affect the blood, bone marrow and lymphatic system (part of the immune system). These diseases are, unfortunately relatively common, and every year around 25,000 in the UK are diagnosed with blood cancer. Because of this, recognising symptoms early is really important, but the symptoms can vary a lot and can make spotting them a bit tricky. Despite this, doctors are urging that local people learn what to look for and seek help from their GP if they think there might be a problem.

The symptoms for the most common types of blood cancer include:

Leukaemia: Feeling tired or weak, bruising or bleeding easily, swollen lymph nodes (lumps in the neck, armpits, groin, or under the chin), swollen stomach, fever/night sweats, pain in the bones or joints and unexplained weight loss

Lymphoma: Swollen lymph nodes, fever/night sweats, persistently feeling tired or weak, itchy skin, unexplained weight loss, coughing, difficulty breathing, chest pain, increased alcohol sensitivity or pain the lymph nodes after drinking, swelling or feeling pain in the stomach

Myeloma: Weight loss, fevers and infections, frequent broken bones, bone pain, persistent thirst, frequent urination, nausea, constipation.

Dr Paul Rose, St Helens GP and the CCG’s Clinical Lead for Cancer, said: “Blood cancer can be difficult to diagnose, and this is one of the reasons why it is such a serious problem. Often, blood cancer is only found in people once their illness has got to an advanced stage but if cancer is recognised earlier on, it is much easier to treat and potentially cure. Therefore I would urge everyone to learn what the common symptoms of blood cancer are and to seek help if you have these, particularly if they are unexplained and persistent.

“Survival rates for blood cancer do vary, but there has been a significant improvement in recent years. There is a lot of help and support available for blood cancer, but for this to be more effective, it is important that people speak to their GP if they think the warning signs are present.”

“Awareness raising to help with early diagnosis is very much part of our St Helens Cancer Strategy which aims to achieve cancer incidence, mortality and survival rates for our population that are amongst the best in Europe and reduce the gap between the outcomes for St Helens and those for the whole of England.”

If you would like to know more about recognising the symptoms of blood cancer and what to do about them please visit: https://bloodwise.org.uk/info-support/blood-cancer/symptoms

Also see our Facebook page www.facebook.com/sthelensccg for more messages around blood cancer