Nearly 1 in 4 cancer cases early detected in Scotland

Almost one quarter of cancers are detected at the earliest possible stage in Scotland, official figures released on Tuesday showed. In 2010 and 2011, 23 percent of people diagnosed with breast, colorectal or lung cancer were picked up at the earliest stage (stage one), according to statistics from the National Health Services (NHS) Scotland. The detect cancer early program aims at a 25 percent increase in the percentage of cancer cases diagnosed in the first stages of the disease by 2015. Scottish Health Secretary Alex Neil said more lives could be saved in Scotland through early detection. However, more people need to be aware of the signs and symptoms of cancer, and participate in the screening programs, he added. "Our breast cancer drive saw the number of women going to their general physicians with breast symptoms increase by 50 percent. We also recently launched our bowel cancer campaign and plan to run a lung cancer drive later this year," Neil said.