Heartburn Cancer UK buys new unit to reach more people

The Heartburn Cancer UK (HCUK) charity, based in Basingstoke, has bought a second mobile unit to reach more people with a new heartburn cancer test.

The unit will be used by medics at GP surgeries and community locations, such as leisure centres and out-of-town shopping centres.

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HCUK chair Mimi McCord said: “Our mobile units allow us to take the Heartburn Sponge Test to the doorstep of millions of people. It means that more people can be checked in an easier and cheaper way.”

Mimi added: “Early diagnosis is key to survival in all cancers, but far too often, oesophageal cancer is diagnosed far too late. We hope the mobile units, and the tests done within them, are part of the movement that changes that.”

Mimi McCord was inspired to set up the charity after her 47-year-old husband died from late-diagnosed oesophageal cancer.

Cancer of the oesophagus is the 7th biggest cancer killer in the UK, despite being only the 14th most common. Around 8,000 people are diagnosed with the disease each year. But since the 1970s, the 10-year survival rates have only gone up from four per cent to 12 per cent.

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The Heartburn Sponge test is a simple test for people who have persistent heartburn and other associated conditions. The test, which can be done by a nurse, is an alternative first-line diagnostic check to the more invasive and expensive endoscopy, where a camera is passed down the throat towards the stomach, which can only be done by a specialist in a hospital setting.

Using the sponge test, only people who have cell changes need to go on to have an endoscopy.

Anyone who has had persistent heartburn for more than three weeks, or who regularly buys off-the-shelf or over-the-counter antacids, such as Gaviscon or Rennie, should contact their doctor for a check-up.