Heartburn ‘possible cancer sign’ warning

Posted 27/01/2015

A health campaign is urging people not to ignore heartburn, because it could potentially be a sign of stomach or oesophageal cancer. According to Public Health England (PHE), people should go to their doctor if they have persistent heartburn or difficulty swallowing food for three weeks or more. But it said most people were not aware of the symptoms.

Stomach and oesophageal cancers are the fifth most common cancers in England. PHE figures show that around 12,900 people in England are diagnosed with these cancers each year and approximately 10,000 people die from the diseases annually. Yet, around 950 lives could be saved each year if survival rates for oesophago-gastric cancers matched the best in Europe, it says.

At present, the UK has the highest rate of oesophageal cancer in men and women in the EU, which may be due to smoking, rising obesity levels, a lack of fruit and vegetables in our diet and regular alcohol consumption. The earlier the cancers are diagnosed, the more likely the treatment is to be successful.

Symptoms can include:

• indigestion on and off for three weeks or more
• feeling food sticking in your throat when you swallow
• losing weight for no obvious reason
• trapped wind and frequent burping
• feeling full very quickly when eating
• nausea or vomiting
• pain or discomfort in the top of your stomach.

Prof Michael Griffin, professor of surgery at the Northern oesophago-gastric unit, said people should not feel they are bothering their GP unnecessarily. “You won’t be wasting your doctor’s time – you will either get reassurance that it isn’t cancer, or if it is, you will have a better chance of successful treatment. International comparisons have already shown us that the British public are far more worried about being a burden on the health system or wasting the doctor’s time than in other developed countries.”

Julie Crossley, a medical injury lawyer at Ashtons Legal, comments that “it is worrying that the UK has the highest rates of oesophageal cancer in the EU and provided that GPs recognise the risk factors and refer appropriately it should lead to a higher survival rate. The concern is that patients may feel that these symptoms appear trivial and will put off attending their GPs when they are already over stretched.”