The Lord Mayor of Exeter, Cllr Kevin Mitchell, is calling for greater awareness to turn the tide against rare and aggressive sarcoma cancers.
This month is Sarcoma Awareness Month and, as part of national activities to raise awareness, the Sarcoma Specialist Team at Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital held a sarcoma awareness-raising day on Friday. The Lord Mayor, who also works at the hospital as a sarcoma specialist nurse, hosted an information stand at the hospital entrance. The stand drew significant interest with hospital patients and medical professionals stopping by to find out more about sarcoma and the charity Sarcoma UK.
Cllr Mitchell said: ‘Sarcoma cancers are so rare that a GP may only have ever encountered one case in their entire professional career. They account for less than 1% of all cancer diagnoses and, because of their rarity, can often be misdiagnosed until it is too late. We need to change that by making the public and medical professionals aware of this deadly disease and be alert to spot the signs. I want to call on everyone to learn the signs, spread the word, and help us catch this rare cancer early. Your vigilance today could save a life tomorrow.’
Sarcoma UK’s awareness campaign this month centres around early diagnosis with the theme ‘Don’t Delay’. It aims to significantly increase public knowledge about this often-overlooked cancer and emphasise the critical importance of early detection.
Chief Executive of Sarcoma UK, Richard Davidson (pictured third left with Richard and the rest of the team), supported the initiative by joining the team on Friday.
He said: ‘The Lord Mayor’s proactive approach is exactly what we need to combat sarcoma, and I commend him and the team at the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital for all they are doing to raise awareness of this dreadful disease. Sarcoma UK’s website has lots of information about sarcoma, which I encourage people to visit. We also have a Sarcoma Support Line with advisers who are specialist sarcoma nurses who can help answer questions from anyone affected by sarcoma.’
Sean Tilson, 20, a second-year business management student at the University of Exeter, lost his mother, Natasha, to metastatic spindle cell sarcoma six years ago. Spindle cell sarcomas are so rare they account for less than half of one per cent (0.06%) of all cancer diagnoses.
Since Natasha’s death, Sean has been involved in a number of challenges to raise money for Sarcoma UK to fund research into early diagnosis and improve treatment. He said: ‘It’s brilliant that the team at RD&E is helping to raise awareness, and the Lord Mayor’s support is really welcome. Sarcoma is a sinister and aggressive cancer that doesn’t get the attention it deserves, and I want to see that change urgently. Every effort to educate people about sarcoma could potentially save lives, and that’s why initiatives like this are so crucial.’
