Whatever You Call It, Get It Checked.
If you’ve been experiencing persistent heartburn, indigestion, or difficulty swallowing, don’t wait for the symptoms to go away, contact your GP practice today to ensure you get the peace of mind or early support you need.
The oesophageal cancer awareness campaign, ‘Whatever you call it’, highlights key
symptoms of oesophageal cancer and reminds people to contact their GP practice earlier to get their symptoms checked.
You may be more likely to get oesophageal cancer if:
Symptoms can include:
- Persistent heartburn or indigestion
- Difficulty swallowing (dysphagia)
- Unfortunately, people often treat some of these symptoms with over-the-counter antacids (such as Gaviscon or Rennie) from the supermarket or chemist. This can mask a problem being found, treated, or monitored.
Other symptoms can include:
- Losing weight without trying to
- Pain in the middle of your chest, back or between the shoulder blades especially when swallowing
- A cough that is not getting better
- A hoarse voice
- Feeling very tired for no reason
- It is important to contact your GP practice if your symptoms change, get worse or do not feel normal for you for 3 weeks or more.
- Early cancer diagnosis saves lives.