Why early diagnosis in Yorkshire is so important

Early diagnosis is critical to cancer survival. The later a cancer is diagnosed, the harder it is to treat, often leading to lower survival rates.

Yorkshire Cancer Research is funding vital new screening programmes and research trials that are saving lives in Yorkshire. However, there is still a long way to go.

In this blog, we discuss the problems around late diagnosis in Yorkshire, the barriers stopping people in Yorkshire from attending a GP or screening appointment, and the steps that need to be taken to improve early diagnosis in the region.

Currently, half of cancers in Yorkshire are diagnosed at Stage 3 or 4 when the cancer is often harder to treat. In addition, more than a fifth of cancers are discovered following an emergency hospital admission – the highest proportion of anywhere in England. More severe symptoms that require emergency care are more likely to be caused by advanced cancers.

Of the cancers in England diagnosed through an emergency route, like a visit to A&E, three quarters are at a late stage. This is compared to only 1 in 10 cancers diagnosed at a late stage through screening.

The NHS long term plan has set a target for 75% of all cancers to be diagnosed early by 2028. However, analysis from Yorkshire Cancer Research reveals that Yorkshire will miss this target by seven years without improving access to cancer screening.

Finding cancer early when it’s easiest to treat offers the best chance of successful treatment.

As part of our Change Yorkshire's Cancer Story campaign, Yorkshire Cancer Research is asking the Government and our region’s political leaders to make early diagnosis a priority so that more people in Yorkshire can access pioneering screening services and more lives can be saved.

Improving early diagnosis across the whole of Yorkshire, and for all cancer types, requires a long-term cancer strategy which directly addresses the many barriers stopping people from accessing screening services and attending GP appointments.

Research from the RURALLY study, funded by Yorkshire Cancer Research, found that longer travel times to GPs, seasonal work pressures and fears of losing income from work all contributed to delays in people from North Yorkshire’s rural communities visiting their doctor or attending their screening appointment.

Cultural barriers and limited access to affordable transportation are also common factors for people in Yorkshire deciding not to seek help for cancer symptoms.

Findings from the study will help improve understanding of how the charity can best serve communities across Yorkshire and is helping to inform new ways to encourage people to go to their doctor with potential symptoms of cancer.

People from more socioeconomically deprived groups are also less likely to attend screening than people from the least deprived. Yorkshire Cancer Research is supporting people living in deprived areas to take part in life-saving screening, such as the Leeds GP Confederation’s Cancer Screening and Awareness Programme, which supports people living in the city’s eight most deprived areas to attend screening appointments.

Each of the ‘Primary Care Networks’ has a cancer care coordinator who assists people from these areas in taking part in screening. This includes women from culturally diverse communities who have been shown to avoid attending their cervical screening appointment due to embarrassment, anxiety around the process and practical difficulties in booking an appointment.

While local initiatives like the Leeds GP Confederation’s Cancer Screening and Awareness Programme are great for targeting specific problems, Yorkshire Cancer Research is calling for more funding for screening programmes and diagnostic tests to be rolled-out across the whole of Yorkshire, as well as mass public health campaigns to improve education around cancer signs and symptoms.

Cancer screening programmes have helped to improve survival rates for breast, bowel, and cervical cancer – and we have been working with cancer experts across the region to show how a targeted lung screening programme could save thousands of lives in Yorkshire.

The Leeds Lung Health Check, funded by Yorkshire Cancer Research and delivered in partnership with Leeds Teaching Hospitals and the University of Leeds, offers people at a higher risk of lung cancer the chance to be scanned for early signs of the disease.

The trial shows first-hand that screening saves lives, with more than 8,000 people screened and almost 350 lung cancers detected since it began in 2018. The trial has also led to plans for a national lung screening programme to be rolled out by 2029. The NHS will take over the running of Leeds Lung Health Check to ensure that more people in Yorkshire can access this life-saving service and have their cancer detected at the earliest possible moment.

We want to ensure that everyone in Yorkshire can access life-saving screening services and feels supported to come forward to their GP with cancer signs and symptoms. Everyone in Yorkshire – no matter who they are or where they live – should have the best chance of surviving cancer.

If you would like to see early diagnosis made a priority in Yorkshire, join Yorkshire Cancer Research’s Change Yorkshire’s Cancer Story campaign.