New Research Exposes Substantial Gaps in Public Awareness of Cancer Signs in Children and Young People
A survey carried out by academics at the University of Nottingham, in partnership with a national charity, has revealed that only 32% of adults who responded felt confident in recognising cancer signs and symptoms in children, teenagers and young adults.
The research, published in Archives of Disease in Childhood, was funded by Children’s Cancer and Leukaemia Group (CCLG) and assessed public awareness of the risks and symptoms of cancer in children, teenagers, and young adults under 18 in Great Britain, as part of the charity’s Child Cancer Smart campaign.
Cancer is the biggest cause of death by disease in children aged 0-14 years, with around one in 450 children diagnosed with cancer by the age of 15. The likelihood of developing cancer becomes even higher in teens and young adults with about one in 180 diagnosed by the age of 25.
Despite these figures, the survey results demonstrated that most of the respondents underestimated the risk of cancer in children, selected symptoms associated with adult, rather than childhood cancers, and didn’t recognise that disturbed growth or pubertal development were indicators of childhood ill health.
This data will be crucial to informing the Child Cancer Smart awareness campaign, providing information about gaps in public awareness and knowledge which we can address through messaging in the campaign.
Dr Shaarna Shanmugavadivel, a paediatrician, NIHR Doctoral Research Fellow at University of Nottingham and co-author of the paper, said: “We know that early diagnosis is crucial to ensuring the best possible outcomes for children with cancer.
“Early diagnosis, means less advanced disease at diagnosis, meaning less intensive treatment needed for a cure. In order to achieve the earliest possible diagnosis, the public need to be aware of what symptoms need medical attention.
“Using these results, we can put interventions in place to improve awareness and knowledge amongst the general public, including targeted information for certain groups, including healthcare professionals to accelerate diagnosis.”
There is a misunderstanding that the symptoms of children’s cancer are like adult cancer. The knowledge gap justifies public awareness programmes aimed at correcting this misunderstanding.