Cancer is the biggest health concern among the public with two-thirds saying they are more worried about being told they have the disease than other conditions such as dementia or having a heart attack, according to a new poll. The survey, suggests that late diagnosis – too late to treat their cancer – is the biggest concern in relation to a cancer diagnosis (70 per cent) followed by the impact on one’s family and those around them (52 per cent). Some 41 per cent worried about getting access to the right treatment, and 36 per cent about the side-effects of treatments.
When asked which transformative development they would like to see in the future – including eradicating diseases such as malaria and genetically engineered crops enabling us to end famine – 55 per cent chose “being able to detect and treat cancer early enough so that no one dies of the disease”. Only eliminating poverty came anywhere close with 23 per cent. “Cancer affects one in two of us and understandably induces fear in patients and their families,” said Professor Richard Gilbertson, director of the centre.
“People are worried that treatments won’t work or that the side-effects will be terrible, but also what their diagnosis will mean to their family. “At Cambridge we believe it’s possible to imagine a world where there is no longer a fear of cancer. It’s an ambitious goal that we – along with many other researchers around the world – are working hard to realise.
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