1 week Ago By [email protected] (Liam McInerney)
Brits are ignoring possible warning signs of cancer and are waiting critically long periods before seeking help, according to Cancer Research UK. They ran a survey of 7,000 people and found 32% of those who noticed a potential cancer red flag did not get it checked for at least 18 months. Explaining why this is so dangerous, Cancer Research spokesman and NHS GP Dr Neil Smith said: “This is very concerning.
Trusting your instincts and getting checked promptly is crucial. If it is cancer, the longer you wait, the more chance it has to grow and spread.” Feeling constantly tired, unexplainable weight loss, new lumps or recurring aches and pains are general cancer symptoms, and you should never hesitate to contact your GP out of fear for wasting their time.
Below, we hear from people who were devastatingly diagnosed with stage four cancer. They have all spoken out to share the symptoms that are not to be ignored, in the hope of saving others before it is too late. Des Longstaff ( oesophageal cancer) Des Longstaff, 39, is currently battling advanced stage four oesophageal adenocarcinoma, an aggressive cancer in the food pipe that has spread to his liver.
The dad, from Blackpool, has been told he has less than 12 months to live but he is fundraising for alternative treatments abroad to extend his life. He has spoken to Reach PLC about how his symptoms started , saying: “I am a landscaper by trade and I was doing a job for one of my friends and his partner had made me a bacon and sausage sandwich. When I was eating it – I hadn’t put any sauce on or anything – it sort of got lodged in my oesophagus and I had a good pint of water but it still wouldn’t budge.
It was to the point where you’re thinking you’re choking. I thought to myself, ‘Am I not chewing it properly?’” Des went to the doctor and an endoscopy was arranged, but before it could take place, he suffered two symptoms the NHS say should never be ignored. This involved him throwing up blood before later noticing blood in his stool.
Unfortunately for Des, it was soon discovered that he had a 35cm tumour in his lower oesophagus and a subsequent scan revealed it had spread to his liver. George Dudnik (lung cancer) George Dudnik, 36, was diagnosed with incurable stage four lung cancer in November 2024. He described it as feeling like a “death sentence” after previously being told he was “too young and too healthy" to be at risk of the disease.
The young man , who was a yoga instructor who also worked for TfL, spoke about his little-known symptoms that started in December 2023. He said: "I woke up around 3am with a swollen face, especially behind my ears. It reminded me of mumps, but I had mumps as a child, so I knew it shouldn't be possible to get them again.
" George sought medical attention via a 111 call, which led to an emergency NHS appointment. At the consultation, without performing any tests, a doctor assessed his condition as mumps and advised him to rest and take paracetamol. The swelling of the face and neck that George experienced is recognised by the NHS as a less common symptom of lung cancer.
That's in contrast to more typical signs such as persistent coughs, coughing up blood, pain while breathing, and ongoing breathlessness. George, who moved to the UK in 2008, later experienced sharp shooting pains in his right calf muscle before coughing up blood during a morning shower. He was eventually diagnosed with it was stage four ROS1-positive lung cancer – an incurable and aggressive form of the disease.
He has since been fundraising to help in his fight with the disease. Will Wise (thyroid cancer) Will Wise, 31, is now living with incurable stage four cancer, after his symptoms abruptly started on the London Underground . The former basketball player had gone to the gym and enjoyed a morning run before making his way to work.
This led to him being diagnosed with stage four thyroid cancer and a separate cancerous tumour in his adrenal gland. Reflecting on the three warning signs that struck in November 2022, he said: “I was running a little late and when I got on the tube I was sweating really bad and I just thought it was because I was running late. I had just worked out so I wasn’t really thinking too much of it other than it was really hot on the tube as it always is.
” Cancer Research UK says that sweating is indeed a symptom of cancer. They say people in advanced stages of any cancer type, like Will, are more likely to sweat profusely. As the journey went on, Will started to experience the second symptom, which was a headache.
He said: “I started getting sensitive to the light. I started getting this pulsing headache and I had to sit down. I remember the light messing with my eyes and me feeling uncomfortable.
” Macmillan warns headaches can sometimes be an early warning sign of cancer. And they suggest you tell your GP especially if you suffer Will's next symptom. He eventually made his way to the office and before heading upstairs, he said: “I started to vomit and it was discoloured and greenish.
I didn't have anything green to eat. At this time my shirt is soaked, I went from being a little bit sweaty to literally looking as if I had jumped in a pool and I was throwing up.” Moments later, he revealed: “I then started to throw up blood, like speckled blood.
Then the speckled blood turned into full blood. Imagine having the hiccups and every time you hiccup you throw up blood. It was really scary.
” When thyroid cancer advances to other areas of the body, additional symptoms such as nausea and vomiting can occur, according to Moffitt Cancer Centre. He has since been told he will not be cured and that treatment can improve survival and the quality of his life. Kev Coles (bowel cancer) Tragically for Kev Coles, a father-of-seven from Stoke, his symptoms were caught too late, despite trying to seek help.
The 46-year-old died last month just days after bravely raising awareness of his symptoms, following his stage four bowel cancer diagnosis. His wife, Kayleigh, has since revealed how her husband has helped save a life by talking about his warning signs. Speaking about a horrifying skin change that she noticed in September last year, she said: “There was a moment where me and Kev were outside and he went yellow in front of my eyes.
He started vomiting profusely and he was sweating uncontrollably so much so it looked like he was under a shower and he was in crippling pain. “I immediately rang 999 for an ambulance. However, we waited for ages for it to arrive.
The pain settled down and Kev just wanted a sleep so he told me to cancel the ambulance.” According to the NHS, skin turning yellow can be a symptom of bowel cancer, especially if it has spread to the liver. Kev would later find out his liver area had been affected.
The NHS say one of the main red flags to look out for is tummy pain, and this ended up being Kev’s main symptom. However, despite showing clear symptoms, Kev claimed he was dismissed, before he was eventually given the life-changing news. And speaking after his heartbreaking death, Kayleigh told Reach PLC: “It is too late for my darling Kev - but if it can help raise awareness and help others then I know that’s what Kev wanted and it might help heal my heart a little, knowing him being taken away wasn’t for nothing.
“I’ve already had people messaging saying I read your article and it made me go to the doctors again because I was worried after being sent away once and now I’m demanding they access me again - and that’s amazing. “Even a mum of my daughter’s friend said a few days ago that Kev saved her life. She had similar symptoms.
She got sent away. She read Kev’s story, demanded to get tested property and she’s got a CT scan booked in. If it gives just one person the courage to get a second opinion if they are concerned about their symptoms, then I can sleep easier at night.
” NHS advice According to the NHS, half of people in the UK do not check their bodies every month, and doing something as simple as this could make all the difference. Cancer director for NHS England, professor Peter Johnson, said: “I encourage everyone to make checking your body for changes a part of your routine. If you do spot something worrying, get in touch with your GP surgery.
It might just save your life.”.
