Do You Breathe In And Out? Do You Consume Food? Do You Blink? Do You Wear Clothes And Footwear?

[10ClarionSt]

Then you might have cancer. It might be nothing, but pop along to your doctor for a check up. He/she will be a-b-s-o-l-u-t-e-l-y d-e-l-i-g-h-t-e-d to see you, along with thousands of others who have been frightened by another scaremongering ad from the govt.

[Sqad]

10Clarion........to put things in perspective.......and to support your views, the average GP will only see about 4 cases of cancer a year and will probably miss the diagnosis in half the cases.
The other point is that commonly many cancers will not kill, even if missed by the GP and untreated for months after onset of treatment.

The answer is very difficult, but in my opinion a complete reorganisation of the NHS with the accent on hospital services and the re focusing of GP's into playing a minor role, would be considered laughable..........but is the answer.

[albaqwerty]

sqad, can I ask you something please?

Surely a GP would refer someone who specailises in whatever illness/disease the patient is presenting and not make a diagnosis as they are only a GP?

(I say only only because they are a General Practioner as opposed to someone who has spent the best part of a decade learning and studying their speciality)

My GP was very good one one occasion, and on a different occasion again, very good. Was referred to the appropriate place and tests and treatment successful as it was caught early.

[Ann]

I know it's wise to give advice on what to be aware of, but that stroke symptom advert is very frightening, watching her face drop, I can't look at it after seeing it once.

[RATTER15]

Ann, so you remembered it? Job done!!

[Ann]

I suppose so, Ratter! I know it's only acted but it's not nice to watch.

[Sqad]

\\\Surely a GP would refer someone who specailises in whatever illness/disease the patient is presenting and not make a diagnosis as they are only a GP? \\

and thereby lies the problem.

IF the GP referred all cases with symptoms as suggested by the adverts, then the hospital service would collapse.....waiting times for investigations at the hospital would double or even treble.

So, the GP "hangs back"..............

In my opinion...the best results have little to do with early diagnosis, but more to do with ...LUCK.
If you have an aggressive cancer then your outlook is poor.
If you have a les aggressive one, then the outlook is better.

Just my opinion.

[boxtops]

Many GPs specialise these days, alba - they don't pretend to be consultants, but they are often very well informed in their chosen clinical field.

Sqad - if you've ever read Roy Lilley's newsletters on NHS reforms, you'll know that he agrees with you.

[albaqwerty]

Thanks sqadlet x
The hospitals would definitely collapse if everyone was referred.

Thanks Boxy x
Now I understand why a GP at my surgery will ask for a colleague to confer with.
There's 5 and each of them, imo, are blooming brilliant.

[Sqad]

boxy....LOL....thanks, i am too old in the tooth to read NHS newsletters.......come to think of it, I never paid any attention to NHS directives when i was active.

[Prudie]

Clarion I fully agree with you, there are lots of people who don't want to live at their doctors like some. I hate these constant adverts, you'll see on average at least 4 in every evening's viewing. It makes life seem hardly worth living because you have to worry all the time. I think the lung cancer one - 3 weeks of a cough - is particularly frightening. It's not just the TV, every paper or mag or visit to a public toilet will hit you with some scare about an illness.

[anneasquith]

a gp will only see about 4 cases of cancer in a year,,,,,,seriously ?

[boxtops]

I think that's an underestimate, too, given the size of any practice's patient population these days.

[anneasquith]

box. obviously I don't know any figures, but id think gp's would see many cases of cancer its hardly a rare disease ( sadly )

[boxtops]

Interesting - according to this report, any individual GP may see one new case of lung cancer every 8 months http://fampra.oxfordjournals.org/content/21/6/605.full

That is of course only for one type of cancer, and excludes all the other types

[Old_Geezer]

It's no worse than the one that suggests each time you get indigestion you should turn up at the hospital in case it's a heart attack.

Maybe the NHS should fund a yearly human version of the MOT for each of us so we can all feel secure for another 12 months.