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Almost half of cancers 'caught too late'

Almost half of cancers diagnosed in England are discovered late knocking back the chances of successful treatment, according to a report.

Some 52,000 cancer patients could improve their chances of survival if they were diagnosed early - and save the NHS £210 million, the report from Cancer Research UK claims.

Early-stage tumours can often be removed by surgery, but once a cancer has started to spread around the body it becomes much more difficult and costly to treat.

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Action needed to give cancer patients a fighting chance

For cancer survivor Greig Trout, beating the disease twice has been an inspiration.

He is now trying to inspire other sufferers with his video diary chronicling the '101 things to do when you survive'.

Read: Report: Almost half of cancers 'caught too late'

Unfortunately for many other patients, cancer is not caught early enough and 160,000 people still die from the disease each year in the UK.

Experts say better diagnosis rates have the potential to save thousands of lives, as well as saving money on expensive treatment for late-stage cancers.

ITV News reporter Sascha Williams reports.

GP check 'vital' if people 'notice anything unusual'

It is "vital" people check with their GPs as soon as something unusual happens to their bodies if they want the best chance to beat cancer, according to a healthy charity.

Sara Hiom, director of early diagnosis at Cancer Research UK explained:

Diagnosing cancer at its earliest stages is crucial to give patients the best chance of survival.

There are a number of reasons why cancer may be diagnosed at an advanced stage.

For some cancers, such as pancreatic, symptoms are often only noticeable once the tumour has already started to spread. But for many others there are chances for the cancer to be picked up earlier.

It's vital that people are aware of their body and if they notice anything unusual for them they should visit their GP. And GPs play a critical role of course, knowing when symptoms need to be investigated and referring patients promptly for tests.

– Sara Hiom

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Cancers diagnosed early would 'save NHS £44m'

If four of the most common cancers - colon, rectal, lung and ovarian - were diagnosed early, it could save the NHS £44 million in treatment costs ever year, a report has found.

According to Cancer Research UK's report, Incisive Health:

  • Early diagnosis in those cancers would benefit at least 11,000 patients.
  • Diagnosis figures for seven cancers in England - breast, colorectal (bowel), lung, melanoma (skin), Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma, ovarian and prostate - showed that 46% were detected at a late stage in 2012.
  • Breast cancer had the best diagnosis rate - 83% of cases of were identified early, highlighting the benefits of national screening.

Report: Almost half of cancers 'caught too late'

Almost half of cancers diagnosed in England are discovered late, knocking back the chances of successful treatment, according to a report.

Testing for cancer has evolved past a standard biopsy - these blood tests were used to screen men for prostate cancer. Credit: PA

Some 52,000 cancer patients could improve their chances of survival if they were diagnosed early - and save the NHS £210 million, the report from Cancer Research UK claims.

Experts believe if all cancer patients had tumours detected earlier an extra 5,000 people would survive five years or more after their initial diagnosis.

Lung cancer had the worst record of delayed diagnosis, with 77% of cases being spotted late.

Early-stage tumours can often be removed by surgery, but once a cancer has started to spread around the body it becomes much more difficult and costly to treat.

Read: Charity: Blood cancer needs to be spotted earlier

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