Scottish Cancer Awareness Campaign Hailed

A bold campaign from the Scottish Government aimed at detecting more cancers early is already showing positive results, the Health Secretary said.

Shona Robison hailed the third anniversary of the forward thinking'' Detect Cancer Early (DCE) initiative as animportant milestone'' in efforts to boost cancer survival rates.

The campaign has already included high profile adverts from actress and comedienne Elaine C Smith and former Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson in a bid to increase awareness of some of the early warning signs for the disease.

The scheme, set up in 2012, aims to increase the number of people diagnosed with breast, bowel and lung cancer in the early stages of the disease by 25% by the end of this year.

As part of the work, a new simplified bowel cancer test is being introduced over the next two years in a bid to encourage more people to be screened, Ms Robison announced.

Currently 56.1% of 50 to 74-year-olds who are sent the home screening kit complete it by returning three samples, but the new test will mean people only have to return one sample.

Speaking three years after the campaign was launched, Ms Robison said: It is fantastic to reach this important milestone, particularly as we announce a new bowel cancer screening test that will enhance our ability to save lives through the earlier detection of bowel cancer.

Over the last three years, DCE has adopted bold approaches to make people aware of the signs and symptoms of cancer, invested in innovative projects and delivered advancements in screening. It will be a while before we can see the full impact of the programme but we're starting to see positive results emerge.''

She continued: We've also seen an important shift change in the attitudes Scots have towards the disease, with more people recognising the benefits of early detection and value of screening.

Continuing to drive this awareness of the benefits of early detection is key to getting people to act sooner rather than later and increasing survival rates.''

Smith fronted a ground-breaking campaign aimed at increasing awareness of breast cancer symptoms, which featured images of breasts with visible signs of the disease.

It sparked a 50% increase in women going to their GP with concerns.

She said: I've been moved to tears many times over these past three years by the response of so many women writing to me, approaching me after shows, or just in the street telling me what this campaign did for them - on many occasions saying that it had literally saved their life.

I'm immensely proud to be a part of such a forward thinking, bold campaign and want all that great work to continue.''

Dr Hilary Dobson, regional cancer lead clinician for the West of Scotland Cancer Network and consultant radiologist and clinical director at NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, hailed the adverts, saying: Showing real women's breasts in mainstream channels - that's not on page three - was a brave step in raising awareness of key symptoms other than lumps.

It prompted women with concerns to visit their GP and clearly increased symptom awareness - an effect that is maintained even now.''

The campaign has also helped increase the number of men aged over 40 who believe it is possible to survive lung cancer, and Professor Robert Steele, director of the Scottish Bowel Screening Programme, saying: The bold approach of DCE has helped break down barriers people face when it comes to talking about 'down there', and resulted in even more bowel screening kits being requested and returned than ever before.''

He added: It's fair to say that Scotland has taken several strides in the last three years towards making bowel screening a social norm and we expect the introduction of the new bowel screening test will continue to drive uptake rates in the national screening programme, saving more lives.''

Gregor McNie, Cancer Research UK's senior public affairs manager for Scotland, said: We know Scotland still lags behind many other countries - even though our cancer survival rates are improving.

Earlier diagnosis remains one of the keys to improving Scotland's cancer survival. On its third anniversary the Detect Cancer Early initiative remains as important as ever, working to increase the number of Scots being diagnosed earlier, when treatment is more likely to be successful.

Cancer Research UK believes it's vital that more people have their cancers diagnosed at the earliest stages so we're working with the health community across Scotland to achieve this. Campaigns for bowel, breast and lung cancer have already boosted public awareness of cancer symptoms so people are more likely to go to their GP earlier.''