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New campaign to raise awareness of oesophago-gastric cancer may lead to over-investigation, expert warns

BMJ 2015; 350 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.h450 (Published 26 January 2015) Cite this as: BMJ 2015;350:h450
  1. Gareth Iacobucci
  1. 1The BMJ

Public Health England (PHE) will focus on raising awareness of the signs and symptoms of oesophago-gastric cancer in a bid to prompt people with concerns to visit their doctor as early as possible.

The latest phase of the national Be Clear on Cancer campaign will target people over 50. It will urge anyone in this age group experiencing heartburn on most days for three weeks or more to see a GP, as it could be a sign of cancer. Those in this age group who experience dysphagia will also be urged to see a doctor.

PHE said that it had launched the campaign to encourage earlier diagnosis of oesophago-gastric cancers, which are responsible for more than 10 000 deaths in England each year. It said that around 67% of people whose cancers are diagnosed at …

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