Survey Says!
The 'Changing Face of Cancer Survey' is an online survey conducted in August with 2 representative samples of the UK population, 872 and 1000 participants. It was sponsored by Roche Products, LTD in collaboration with Leukaemia CARE. Roche makes pharmaceuticals and Leukaemia CARE is a national charity that supports people affected by blood cancers.
Survey respondents believed that chances of living longer with cancer have improved over the last ten years but at the same time seem to be more worried about 10 different types of cancer than they were ten years ago. It also came out that non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma was the cancer that worried people the least. This is ironic since it's the sixth most common cancer in the UK and has a faster growing rate than stomach, cervical or bowel cancers. Sixty-three percent of those surveyed did not know that NHL is a cancer and more than half could not even guess what NHL is.
Tony Gavin, CEO of Leukaemia CARE, commented: "It does trouble us that the severity and prevalence of NHL is not understood by the public - that many don't even recognise it as a form of cancer - because it is a disease with a high, and increasing, incidence. More than 10,000 new cases of NHL are diagnosed every year."
"We're not suggesting people should worry more about NHL, or any cancer for that matter, but as people's general awareness of cancer improves, we would hope that this translates to them being more alert about their own health and having any physical changes checked out." "Our work is to ensure people do know about NHL, can recognise its symptoms and get the best possible care in a timely fashion," he said.
