After Heart Radio presenter Jamie Theakston announced his laryngeal cancer diagnosis on social media, searches for the NHS advice page for the disease went up by over 1270 per cent.
That is equal to one visit every 16 seconds across the two days since his Instagram post.
Earlier this week, Theakston said: “I have cancer… But cancer doesn’t have me. The prognosis is very positive and I’m hoping to be back with you in October.”
Visits to the NHS web page increased by more than 10,000 – with 11,070 views compared to 804 at the start of the week – equivalent to one visit every 16 seconds.
The 53-year-old presenter was prompted to visit his GP after listeners noticed changes to his voice over the past weeks – a common symptom of laryngeal cancer.
Other symptoms of laryngeal cancer can include difficulty or pain when swallowing, noisy breathing, shortness of breath, a persistent cough, and a lump or swelling in your neck.
Amanda Pritchard, NHS chief executive, said: “We are grateful to Jamie Theakston for speaking out about his cancer diagnosis and wish him well for his treatment."
“We know there is much more work to do to ensure more people get timely treatment for cancer as highlighted by the stark Cancer Research UK projections out today so we will continue to work with our clinical staff, partners and the government to tackle this, including through the 10 year plan for health and care.”
Professor Peter Johnson, NHS national clinical director for cancer, said: “It is really positive that Jamie’s cancer has been picked up early and that his announcement has encouraged others to seek advice – talking about cancer and how to spot signs and symptoms helps save lives.
“Thanks to the hard work of staff, more cancers are now being diagnosed at an early stage than ever before and survival rates are at an all-time high, so I would encourage anyone to visit their GP if they have worrying symptoms, and to take up screening appointments when they’re invited.”
The NHS is seeing and treating record numbers of people for cancer, with almost 3 million people receiving potentially lifesaving cancer checks in the last year alone.
