Strength in Numbers dedicated to my late mother Kay
25/02/2015 • 8:50 am 0
A father who was prescribed indigestion tablets when he had cancer of the oesophagus is campaigning for better awareness of his illness among GPs and the public. Bruce Millar, 57, went to the doctor after having trouble swallowing. He was told it was indigestion and prescribed omeprazole. When his condition did not improve Mr Millar was referred to surgeon James Gossage at the London Bridge Hospital. He diagnosed cancer of the oesophagus, the disease that killed New Labour strategist Philip Gould.
It is a particularly aggressive form of cancer, but research by Public Health England has found the symptoms are commonly mistaken for heartburn or indigestion. This means death rates are high because many patients are diagnosed at a late stage. Nearly three people a day — 963 in total — died from oesophageal or stomach cancer in London in 2012, and 1,212 were diagnosed.
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“Lucky to be alive”: Bruce Millar had a six-hour operation after his cancer was finally diagnosed
Filed under: GP's, Hospital, NHS, NHS Blunders, Cancer, tumor
