Cancer Prevention Action Week 2025

Cancer in the UK

NHS England says that more people are surviving cancer than ever before, but more can be done to save lives, and early detection, diagnosis and treatment is important. In the UK, factors such as age, gender, ethnicity, and deprivation have been found to be linked to cancer and inequity in accessing cancer care. 

Did you know that:

• 9.1% of females have a lower chance of survival compared to men in cases of bladder cancer. 
• Of people aged 45-54 years, 34% have waited longer than 3 months for an early-stage diagnosis. 
• Within areas of high deprivation, individuals’ have an increased risk of cancer and poor outcomes, are more likely to receive a late diagnosis of cancer,  and face greater difficulties accessing cancer care.

What symptoms should I be looking out for?

It’s unlikely to be cancer, but it’s important to speak to your GP if you have the following symptoms:

• Coughing up blood
• Chest pain
• Breathlessness
• Change in bowel habits
• Persistent bloating
• Bleeding (in urine, expected vaginal bleeding, including after sex, between periods or after menopause)
• Lumps (these can be in the breasts)
• Swollen lymph nodes (can be found on each side of the neck, under the chin, in the armpits, and around the groin.

You can find out more about the different symptoms and signs of cancer on the NHS website here. 

You can get support and information in other languages from Macmillan Cancer Support.

How can I reduce my risk of cancer?

Here are a few a few things you can do to lower your risk of cancer:

• Get support to stop smoking. You can get help from your GP or the Kensington and Chelsea Stop Smoking Service.
• Try to eat a balanced diet.
• Get physical! You can find local free activities on the RBKC website.
• Protect yourself from the sun by ensuring that you use sunscreen (at least SPF 30) daily.

For more health and wellbeing information visit One You Kensington & Chelsea and Westminster website.

How can I detect cancer for early prevention?

Attending cancer screenings when you are invited to do so is one of the best ways to detect cancer at an early stage and in some cases, prevent cancer from developing in the first place.

Lung health check:

The NHS Targeted Lung Health Check programme offers free lung checks for current or former smokers aged 55-74 to detect lung cancer early. It’s quick, and simple, and helps spot issues before symptoms appear. 

Cervical cancer screening:

The NHS Cervical Screening Programme saves approximately 4,500 lives every year in England by detecting high-risk HPV and making sure there is early treatment. Read our blog about cervical cancer screening and prevention for more information.

Bowel cancer screening:

The NHS Bowel Cancer Screening Programme has expanded to include individuals aged 50 to 74, enabling four million people to participate. Regular bowel cancer screening reduces the risk of dying from bowel cancer by at least 25%. 

These are just some examples of NHS initiatives that allow many people to detect early signs of cancer. Find out more about screening and early detection here.