Cancer Reform Strategy - NHS Cancer Screening Programmes

CHAPTER 3: DIAGNOSING CANCER EARLIER 51changes in levels of symptom awarenessand late presentation. Where they findevidence of low awareness and of latepresentation, good PCTs and LocalAuthorities will take action to remedy this.Programmes to raise symptomawareness and change behaviour3.49 The research base on interventions whichpromote awareness of cancer symptoms andencourage behaviour change in relation tocancer is very small. Very few robust studieshave been undertaken to assess theeffectiveness of interventions. 24 An updatedsystematic review has recently beencommissioned by Cancer Research UK.3.50 However, there are several notable examplesof awareness campaigns and pilot programmes toencourage help-seeking behaviour:●●●●The Open Up to Mouth Cancer campaign,run by Cancer Research UK and supportedby the Department of Health, targeted at-riskgroups with information about mouth cancerrisk factors and symptoms;A pilot programme in Coventry funded bythe Department of Health and signatories tothe Prostate Cancer Charter for Action aimedto raise awareness of the prostate and itsfunction, including among Afro-Caribbeanmen, using community health promotiontechniques in pubs, clubs and workplaces;Psychosocial researchers have investigatedthe reasons for delayed presentation inwomen with symptomatic breast cancer andare conducting pilot work to develop anintervention to promote earlier presentationin women over 70 years 25 ;The Breakthrough Breast Cancer ‘TLC: TouchLook Check’ campaign run with Marks andSpencer provided 50 million opportunities forwomen to receive a message on breastawareness during October 2007. A pilotprogramme in Camden funded by theDepartment of Health and BreakthroughBreast Cancer aims to increase awareness ofbreast cancer screening;●●The SunSmart campaign, discussed inchapter 2, also works to raise awareness notonly of how to prevent skin cancer, but alsohow to notice the early symptoms; andThe ‘Don’t Be a Cancer Chancer’ symptomawareness campaign run by the ManchesterVersus Cancer Alliance is using strikingcampaign messages in places such assupermarkets, pubs and bingo halls aroundGreater Manchester, encouraging people togo to their GP if they are worried about anypossible symptoms.3.51 It is also important that symptomawareness campaigns as far as possible adoptstandardised messages based on the bestavailable evidence. The Department of Healthhas worked with health professionals, patientgroups and the voluntary sector to develop suchstandardised messages for prostate, bowel andlung cancer. We will now work through theNational Awareness and Early DiagnosisInitiative to develop equivalent messagesfor other cancers. We expect thesemessages to be developed over the courseof 2008/09. These messages will be used inall relevant Department of Health fundedinformation sources, including NHS Choices.3.52 Although the evidence to support differentinterventions is limited, there is a growingbehavioural science literature which points tostrategies that are effective in changing people’sbehaviour. There is also evidence to suggest thatadopting a health related social marketingapproach is improving people’s health andreducing inequalities. Social marketing is thesystematic application of marketing conceptsand techniques to achieve specific behaviouralgoals relevant to a social good. It uses a rangeof commercial sector marketing techniques andputs a detailed knowledge of consumerbehaviour at the heart of the development ofbehaviour change interventions, campaigns orprogrammes.