Elaine C Smith cancer ad sparks rise in testing

Published on 27/11/2012 12:00

A HARD-HITTING ad campaign has sparked a huge rise in the number of women coming forward for breast cancer testing which is putting NHS services under strain.

The health drive featuring actress Elaine C Smith has led to hundreds more women being referred by their GPs in just one month – with around a 50 per cent increase recorded in NHS Lothian.

The soaring number of screenings has brought calls for increased capacity in treatment to keep pace with the Government’s early detection drive. Featuring a seemingly topless Elaine C Smith, the ad has received widespread publicity and shows the actress holding a number of pictures that displayed breasts showing the early signs of the disease.

The Government’s early detection campaign is due to cover the three most common cancer killers in Scotland; the focus first on breast cancer and then bowel and lung cancer.

Health boards across Scotland will be expected to achieve a 25 per cent increase in those diagnosed and treated in the first stages of the types of cancer combined by 2015.

The £30 million campaign will see extra money being paid to health boards to increase early detection rates.

The demand on services comes after an earlier report found that 4000 woman a year in the UK are given unnecessary treatment for cancer through the breast screening programme which checks women between the ages of 50 and 70. However, the study found the benefits outweighed the harms with the relative risk of dying from breast cancer 20 per cent less than those who did not go through the clinical investigation.

Audrey Birt, Scotland Director at Breakthrough Breast Cancer, said: “We are pleased Detect Cancer Early is having a positive effect with more women getting any concerns about signs and symptoms of breast cancer checked out by their GP. However it is also important that local health services are adequately resourced to manage this increase in workload.”

A Scottish Government spokeswoman said: “£30m is being invested across all areas of NHS boards to support the programme, and this includes increasing diagnostic capacity.”

Related Articles

• Elaine C Smith fronts ‘shock’ cancer campaign video

  A NEW advert showing pictures of the breasts of women affected by cancer has been launched, in a bid to reduce rates of the disease.

  7 Comments

• A blank check?

  Preventative health care has been the mantra of government health bodies for many years, especially in Scotland. We are constantly urged to alter our lifestyles, our eating habits and to take heed of what our bodies are telling us; all in the interests of living longer - and taking the strain off the beleaguered NHS.

• Scots NHS accused of failing bowel cancer patients

  BOWEL cancer patients are being failed by the Scottish NHS, according to a damning new report on treatment for Scotland’s second deadliest cancer.

• Time to take a full-body approach to your health

  HAVE you ever had a full-body health assessment? Do you know your family's medical history? Do you know what health checks you are entitled to?