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Spalding man who urged more people to go for health checks praises NHS figures that show cancer is being detected earlier




A Spalding campaigner has welcomed news this week that record numbers of people are now going for cancer checks.

Nationally, for the first time, NHS England said it carried out more than two million checks on people who feared they might have cancer.

Mark Le Sage with Dr Janarthanam Babu of Beechfield Medical Centre, Spalding, promoting a campaign to encourage more men to see their GP. (2759590)
Mark Le Sage with Dr Janarthanam Babu of Beechfield Medical Centre, Spalding, promoting a campaign to encourage more men to see their GP. (2759590)

Patients underwent 2.2 million cancer checks following urgent referral by their GP, almost 6,000 a day or more than four every minute.

Mark Le Sage, a dad and registered nurse, spoke to us last year about a campaign called “Get It Seen and Get It Sorted”.

He drew on his own experience of being diagnosed with the skin cancer, melanoma, to alert other men to the need for regular visits to their GP.

Sacha Byford of My No.1 Hair, Beauty and Aesthetics, in Holbeach, offered free bikini waxes in February as part of a drive to raise awareness of the importance of smear testing. (6983193)
Sacha Byford of My No.1 Hair, Beauty and Aesthetics, in Holbeach, offered free bikini waxes in February as part of a drive to raise awareness of the importance of smear testing. (6983193)

Mark said at the time: “I was lucky because my cancer was small.

“But I had seen it grow over a couple of months and although I never even considered that it may be melanoma, I decided to get it checked out by my GP."

Commenting on NHS England’s new figures, Mark said: “It’s really pleasing that people are waking up to the idea that things can be sorted if they are detected earlier.

“I hope that by speaking out this has made a bit of a difference.

“It is better to get something checked and find out there is nothing wrong than leave it.

The team at Strands in Clover Way, Spalding, also took part in the campaign to raise awareness of smear tests by offering free bikini waxes in February. (7070556)
The team at Strands in Clover Way, Spalding, also took part in the campaign to raise awareness of smear tests by offering free bikini waxes in February. (7070556)

And as well as men being urged to get checked, women have been called on to ensure they attend appointments.

A number of beauty salons, locally, took part in a campaign in February where they offered free bikini waxes to encourage more women to go for their smear tests.

NHS England’s national director for cancer Cally Palmer said: “Thanks to a greater awareness of symptoms, more people than ever before are coming forward to get checked for cancer, with over two million in just one year and record numbers of people receiving treatment.

“We want to see even more people seeking help when something is not right – catching cancer earlier when it can be treated best is crucial to providing peace of mind for patients and their families and saving more lives.

SEE ALSO:

Men in South Holland targeted in new health campaign

Salon in Spalding joins the drive to raise awareness of the importance of having a smear test

Beauty salon owner's kind offer to help encourage more women to go for their smear test



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