Blood cancer tool highlights public ignorance of warning signs

The vast majority of the general public are unaware of the possible warning signs of blood cancer, academics have warned.

The finding has come after researchers from the University of Surrey and Queen Mary University of London developed a new tool, the Blood Cancer Awareness Measure (Blood CAM) tool.

This can be used to measure public knowledge of symptoms of different blood cancers, including leukaemia, lymphoma, and myeloma.

Blood cancer is the UK’s fifth most common cancer, with about 250,000 people living with a type of the disease in the UK. However, many people are diagnosed late, and emergency presentation is a common route to diagnosis.

Researchers have suggested this may be because of a lack of awareness of symptoms, which are often vague and non-specific.

The charity Cancer Research UK has said the Blood CAM tool, which works through an online questionnaire, is a “significant step” towards identifying and increasing the public’s knowledge of the condition.

However, when researchers put the tool to use, they found a widespread lack of awareness and understanding of the common warning signs.

Nearly 70% of people were unaware that night sweats can be a symptom of blood cancer and 56% did not recognise rashes or itchy skin as a possible indicator of the disease.

Unexplained weight loss (70%) and unexplained bleeding (65%) were the most recognised symptoms.

Men by and large had lower knowledge of symptoms than women, who were twice as likely to recognise bruising as a sign of the disease.

As part of continued work into blood cancer, the research team also investigated the role of so-called “patient enablement” for those experiencing potential blood cancer symptoms.

Patient enablement is defined as a patient’s ability to understand and cope with illness and life after a consultation with a doctor.

When surveying 434 people, researchers found that 52% had experienced at least one potential blood cancer symptom.

Following a series of questions to determine levels of patient enablement, the researchers were surprised to find that those who scored highly on patient enablement were less likely to seek help from their GP for potential blood cancer symptoms.

However, enablement was important for re-consultation behaviour (for example when symptoms didn’t go away), which is vital when experiencing symptoms, they also found.

Rincy George, policy officer at Blood Cancer UK, said: “This new tool is a significant step towards understanding the gaps in public awareness of blood cancer symptoms.

“By identifying these knowledge gaps, it can help shape impactful awareness campaigns that have the potential to save lives. Timely diagnosis is crucial for those facing a blood cancer diagnosis.”

Professor Katriina Whitaker, lead for cancer care at the University of Surrey, added: “Tools such as these are vital to help improve earlier diagnosis of cancer. Assessing public awareness of cancer symptoms helps us identify knowledge gaps within the population and recommend remedies.

“Spotting cancer at an early stage saves lives. However, for blood cancer, symptoms are less known, and people often attribute them to other ailments, slowing down the diagnosis process,” she said.