The big C – Cancer???  If in doubt check it out

Having decided to write this article on cancer of which there are more than 120 types  I will only name a few to hammer home  the  message that I want readers to get: breast, liver, prostate, bowel,  colon, pancreatic, cervical, bladder, testicular,  ovarian,  kidney, lung and thyroid cancer.

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic and the lockdown experienced in Britain so many people are unable to receive the treatment that they should have had or even be diagnosed in the first place for cancer which is a crying shame. This will no doubt impact on the Black community even more so with the health inequalities/disparities that are known to exist in the National Health Service.

One reads countless articles about Britain being a world beater or world leader on so many fronts but primary and for that matter secondary health care in this  a developed country remains like a post code lottery and is serious cause for concern especially in relation to one’s ethnicity.

Cancer Research UK estimates there will be a backlog affecting more than two million in Britain in terms of cancer diagnosis, care and treatment with the British Medical Journal forecasting it will not be cleared until 2033.  These alarming statistics are truly frightening and it is time people stop suffering in silence and made their voices heard in whatever way possible to the powers that be.

The decision to focus on this topic was the fact that three Black women I know in recent times have succumbed to pancreatic, liver and bowel cancer which in my humble opinion could have been avoided if the health care professionals were more vigilant and responded promptly.

Let me stress immediately a disclaimer confirming that I am not from a medical background but some of what I am about to say comes down to common sense. One of my friends for several months in 2021 was unwell and kept going to see her doctor.

I hold to the view that nobody knows your body better than you do. Despite repeated hospital appointments and admissions too for over six months the diagnosis was that she had either type 1 or type 2 diabetes. Even I know as a diabetes ambassador for nearly ten years and kept telling her, that you cannot have either type 1 or type 2 and that amounts to a misdiagnosis.

The medics kept prescribing her insulin when previously she always had a clean bill of health at her annual medical check-ups and diabetes was never raised as an issue. Finally a CT scan (medical image) was done only to discover that her pancreas which controls the making of the hormone insulin was riddled with stage 4 cancer and within four weeks my friend died at home surrounded by her family.

What a tragic waste of life for someone aged only 60 and I  still struggle to understand what in my view was a clear case of negligence. The stories of the other two Black women were similar and one is left asking the question why the battery of tests did not include from the outset a CT scan?

I would certainly urge anyone who is having unexplained rapid weight loss to have  it checked out and if needs be get a second opinion as although one of the key symptoms of diabetes is losing weight, cancer always ranks highly in this regard also.

The chances are if diagnosed with cancer at stage 1 or 2 instead of stages 3 or 4, the prognosis for recovery is much better. Of course sometimes there is no weight loss or it is minimal so ‘if in doubt check it out’ should forever be the operative words.

‘Cancer fear and cancer fatalism are believed to be higher in ethnic minorities  than White British women  due to people not seeking timely help and support when most needed’  according to a Diversity and Inclusion, Health and Well Being  October 2020 report by  Zahida Ramzan-Asghar, a senior lawyer  at Government Legal  Department.

Based on the three examples that I have alluded to I beg to differ with her analysis of the problem as it is abundantly clear that these three Black women with their presenting problems were not being taken seriously,  nor being listened to by the health care professionals who should have been more attentive to their needs and concerns.

In none of these cases was it an issue of not understanding the patients who all spoke and understood English well. For Ramzan-Asghar to put the blame on Black women is a cop out, wrong, inexcusable and indefensible.

Cultural competence and cultural sensitivity both play an important role in how Black people are perceived and dealt with as patients crying out for help when they know that something is not right with their body.

Admittedly most men and this is by no means a generalization are known to bury their head in the sand like the proverbial ostrich hoping the medical problem will go away  instead of seeking medical advice.

Black women trying their best to convey the message to health care professionals that something is not right are either given short shrift, told it is mind over matter, i.e. psychosomatic, paranoia and from experiences shared with me tend not to be referred to a consultant in a timely manner.  This insensitive approach has got to stop and the interest of the patient should always be of paramount importance.

I would urge anyone reading this article who is not happy with what they have been told if constantly feeling unwell to monitor the situation and do not be afraid to be more assertive and don’t take ‘no’ for an answer as it could mean the difference between life and death.

It would be remiss of me not to highlight the fact that one in every four Black men develop prostate cancer which if caught early is one of the easiest cancers to cure.  So men forearmed is forewarned!!!!

There are too in Britain screening programmes for bowel cancer every two years for men and women aged 60 to 74 and screening services for breast and cervical cancer as well.  People need to make themselves available for their health checks in the same way we get the yearly  MOT test done on our motor vehicles which unlike our body is a piece of junk/metal. Ask yourself which is more important your body or the motor vehicle?

Please see below a few useful websites or contact numbers for advice and support relating to some cancers.

Bowel screening cancer helpline 0800 707 60 60

National male cancer helpline 0808 802 0010

info@orchid-cancer,org.uk  020 3745 7310

Prostate Cancer   www.prostatecanceruk.org.uk  or 0800 082 1616

Bowel cancer UK www.bowelcanceruk.org.uk  020 7940 1760

BME Cancer Communities  www.bmecancer.com

Sistas against cancer support group for Black Asian Minority and Ethnic communities (all other nationalities welcome) 0749 283 0786 or 0789 102 7723

Cancer Black Care 0208 961 4151