Local areas have been given a share of £9m to support the campaign, which will focus on raising awareness of breast, bowel and lung cancer symptoms.
A central campaign to encourage early presentation of bowel cancer will also be trialled by the DoH. If these trials are successful, a national campaign will be launched.
The DoH said that data suggested that 10,000 lives could be saved in England if cancer survival rates matched the best in Europe. Much of this gap could be closed if cancers were diagnosed earlier, the DoH believes.
Care services minister Paul Burstow commented: ‘In England we are lagging behind European countries when it comes to the common but big killer cancers such as breast, bowel and lung.
‘The NHS is spending at European levels but still not delivering European cancer survival rates. We know that generally the earlier cancer is diagnosed, the better the outlook. That’s why our campaign will help people to be more alert to the early signs and symptoms of cancer and encourage them to seek medical advice as soon as possible.’
Cancer awareness campaign to be launched in 2011
A campaign to raise awareness of early signs of cancer in England will be launched in January 2011, the DoH has announced.
