NHS England launches new abdominal cancer awareness campaign

12 Nov 2020

NHS England and NHS Improvement, together with Public Health England, has launched the ‘abdominal cancers’ phase of its Help Us, Help You campaig

The aim is to highlight that persistent tummy troubles could be a sign of a range of cancers.

Anyone with symptoms such as diarrhoea, bloating, abdominal discomfort, constipation, nausea/feeling sick, or blood in the stool, that last three weeks or more should contact their GP. They should also report any other unusual changes like a lump in the abdominal area, post-menopausal bleeding or unexplained weight loss.

Abdominal cancers, including oesophageal, stomach, pancreatic, ovarian, bowel, kidney and uterine, account for 26% of all cancer diagnoses in England and 30% of all cancer deaths. But when cancer is diagnosed early, treatment is more likely to be successful.

The campaign also aims to encourage people with any of these symptoms to talk to their GP, and remind them that the NHS can see them safely.

Visit nhs.uk/cancersymptoms for more information.