Cancer awareness screening

There are more than 200 types of cancer, each with different causes, symptoms and treatments.

Cancer is a disease caused by normal cells changing so that they grow in an uncontrolled way. The uncontrolled growth causes a lump called a tumour to form.

If NOT treated, the tumour can cause problems in one or more of the following ways:

spreading into normal tissues nearby
causing pressure on other body structures
spreading to other parts of the body

Cancer can develop at any age, but is most common in older people. More than three out of five cancers are diagnosed in people aged 65 and over.

The good news is that:

cancer survival rates in the UK have doubled in the last 40 years
three-quarters of children are now cured of their disease, compared with around a quarter in the late 1960s
half of people diagnosed with cancer now survive their disease for at least five years

At least one third of all cancers are preventable

However, there have been large increases in the incidence of many cancers strongly linked to lifestyle choices, such as kidney, liver, lung, skin, oral and uterine (womb). There are 15 cancers directly linked to tobacco smoking and 7 cancers directly linked to Alcohol. Overweight and obesity is the second biggest cause of cancer in the UK - Research has shown that overweight and obesity causes 13 different types of cancer

smoking is by far the most important preventable cause of cancer. It is responsible for one in four UK cancer deaths. Nearly half of all smokers will eventually die from smoking-related diseases. For help around stopping smoking please contact Doncaster Stop Smoking Service
poor diet is also an important avoidable cause of cancer. Research suggests that diets high in fruits and vegetables may have a protective effect against many cancers
regular physical activity and the maintenance of a healthy body weight, along with a healthy diet, will considerably reduce cancer risk. Around 17,000 cases of cancer in the UK each year are linked to being overweight or obese
risk of cancer increases with the amount of alcohol consumed - alcohol is known to increase the risk of liver, mouth, bowel and breast cancers among others. Alcohol is responsible for around 4 per cent of cancers in the UK each year (around 12,500 cases)
excessive exposure to UV radiation (from the sun or sunbeds) is the most important modifiable risk factor for skin cancers - avoiding excessive exposure, use of sunscreen and protective clothing are effective preventive measures .
overweight and obesity is the second biggest cause of cancer in the UK – causing more than 1 in 20 cancer cases. The risk is higher the more overweight you are and the longer you are overweight for. Keeping a healthy weight reduces the risk of 13 different types of cancer.

What we provide

Local cancer awareness campaigns

Aligned with national and local cancer campaigns there will be specific campaigns throughout the year based on local data and incidence of cancer.

For information and National Cancer Awareness visit:

Public Health England website

Cancer prevention schemes

There are health improvement schemes to address the risk factors and specific initiatives will be introduced to reduce risk factors in specific targeted communities. A cancer prevention approach will be introduced in 2014/15.

Cancer screening programmes are implemented nationally for breast, bowel and cervical cancers and corresponding local awareness campaigns available on request.

For further information, please contact us: