Patient and public partnerships
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Project DELTA is working with patient and public partnerships and more information about these can be found below.
Action Against Heartburn was formed in February 2011 to try and coordinate and boost awareness about symptoms leading to oesophageal cancer, the earliest contributors being the Oesophageal Patients Association, Barrett’s Oesophagus UK, Oesophagoose, the Association of Upper GI Surgeons, and Cancer Research UK. Over time more organisations have joined or reorganised, and some have disbanded or left. Currently there are sixteen charities and other organisations supporting the promotion of earlier diagnosis of oesophageal and stomach cancer.
Action Against Heartburn's main campaigns are based on the predominance and growth of adenocarcinoma in the UK (around 70% of oesophageal cancer cases) and its links with persistent heartburn and Barrett’s Oesophagus. There is a great need for regular consumers of Gaviscon, Nexium and other over-the-counter heartburn remedies to be reviewed by their GP and to have endoscopic examinations in order to identify the many people who suffer from dysplastic Barrett’s Oesophagus, which is essentially a precursor to oesophageal adenocarcinoma.
Action Against Heartburn produce a regularly updated background document summarising the medical situation and provide helpful information on their website www.actionagainstheartburn.org.uk
Action Against Heartburn are founder members of the Less Survivable Cancers Taskforce that promotes better outcomes for the main cancer types that suffer from less than twenty percent 5-year survival - lesssurvivablecancers.org.uk
Action Against Heartburn support the development of Cytosponge and the Delta project because of the NHS’s current inability to bring sufficient diagnostic resources to bear to combat oesophageal cancer where 9,200 cases are diagnosed each year in the UK resulting in 7,600 deaths, primarily because of late diagnosis. There is a great need to provide safe, reliable and easy-to-use diagnostic techniques into our GP surgeries, and to educate the public about the symptoms that should cause them to consult their GP.
Heartburn Cancer UK (HCUK) is a charity founded by Mimi McCord in 2003 following the death of her husband from oesophageal adenocarcinoma at the age of 47. They were totally unaware that persistent heartburn in some people was a cause for concern and the condition was never investigated. Had Mimi's husband benefited from early investigations, and an earlier diagnosis, the outcome would have been very different. HCUK specifically raises awareness of the possible dangers of persistent heartburn, and for the condition not to be ignored.
Mimi has been involved with the Cytosponge for over ten years in an advisory capacity and she is a very passionate advocate of this device as an early diagnostic tool, which can be used in primary care, to improve the appalling prognosis of oesophageal adenocarcinoma through early diagnosis.
Heartburn Cancer UK provide more information on their website www.heartburncanceruk.org
West Yorkshire and Harrogate Cancer Alliance