Earlier diagnosis: the importance of cancer symptoms

People diagnosed earlier with cancer are not only more likely to survive, but importantly also to have better experiences of care, lower treatment morbidity, and improved quality of life compared with those diagnosed late.1 Efforts to improve earlier diagnosis of cancer are complex and multifaceted and have been at the forefront of international policy and charity (eg, Cancer Research UK) initiatives. Two distinct patient behaviours can help with earlier cancer diagnosis. These are attending cancer screening, which aims to detect cancer before it is symptomatic (eg, mammography for breast cancer) and presenting promptly to primary care with potential cancer symptoms.