Could you be eligible for a liver health check?
Croft Hall Medical Parctice is one of four Torbay GP practices selected to take part in an NHS England programme that aims to diagnose liver cancer at an early stage.
The programme involves patients aged over 16 who fall into one of the ‘high-risk’ categories and are registered with one of the participating practices (see below).
To be eligible for the programme, patients must fall within one of the ‘high-risk’ groups:
- Diagnosed with alcohol-related liver disease or non-alcoholic fatty liver disease
- Diagnosed with hepatitis C, hepatitis B
- Have type 2 diabetes and be obese with a BMI of over 30 (or over 27 if you’re from an ethnic background)
- Drink more than 30 units of alcohol per week.
We’ve already contacted patients known to be in the high-risk groups and asked them to make an appointment for an initial blood test.
However, we’d like to involve as many patients as possible. So, if you fall into the above criteria and have not already been contacted, please get in touch to find out more.
- Brunel Medical Practice 01803 312233
- Chelston Hall Surgery 01803 605359
- Croft Hall Medical Practice 01803 298441
- Southover Medical Practice 01803 327100.
Depending on the results of an initial blood test, patients will either be offered liver health and wellbeing advice, a second blood test or a fibroscan, which measures inflammation of the liver.
Torquay Primary Care Network (which comprises the four surgeries) is one of just 12 early diagnosis pilot programmes being held throughout England. The results will be used to potentially develop a national programme to help diagnose liver cancer at an early stage as the symptoms of the disease are difficult to detect.
Around 6,200 people are diagnosed with liver cancer each year. However, incidence of liver cancer has increased by 50% over the past decade and is expected to continue to rise.
Evidence suggests more than 50% of liver cancers aren’t diagnosed until stage 3 or 4. One of the reasons for this is that liver cancer doesn’t usually cause symptoms in the early stages.
Plus, symptoms that can show are non-specific and are therefore often missed. These can include weight loss, jaundice, itching, nausea, swollen abdomen, loss of appetite, pain in the abdomen, a lump in the right side of your abdomen or pain in your right shoulder.