0800 822 3370

committee@ochrecharity.co.uk

Registered charity number: SC032343

I'm sure everyone has woken up to the rather staggering news that one in two people will develop cancer at some point in their lives, according to the most accurate forecast to date from Cancer Research UK. This new estimate replaces the previous figure, which predicted that more than 1 in 3 people would develop cancer at some point in their lives.

Thanks to research, the UK's cancer survival has doubled over the last 40 years and around half of patients now survive the disease for more than 10 years. Sadly this is not the case with oesophageal cancer and as more people benefit from improved healthcare and longer life expectancy, the number of cancer cases is expected to rise.

Kate Cunningham, Campaign Director for OCHRE - the oesophageal cancer charity , said:

"Many people will be worried when they hear that one in two people can now expect to develop cancer during their lifetime. We hope that practitioners, health services and campaigners can unite in their efforts to stress the importance of prevention and early detection of all cancers especially those that are challenging to detect like oesophageal cancer. This is vital in order to in increase chances of survival and to prevent patient suffering.

"Oesophageal cancer is the eighth most common cancer in Scotland and these statistics reinforce our work to raise awareness of heartburn and the dangers of self treating without seeking medical advice.

"Awareness and prevention must be key in saving lives lost to oesophageal cancer."