Professor Chris Whitty has become a household name this year, leading the UK’s public health response to the coronavirus pandemic.
But this week the nation’s Chief Medical Officer found time to turn his attention to the fight against bowel cancer.
In a lecture for Gresham College, where he is Gresham Professor of Physic, Prof Whitty emphasised the vital importance of screening and early diagnosis in successfully treating the disease. The talk was part of the excellent Gresham College series called Cancer: A Fight We Are Steadily Winning.
Prof Whitty’s speech gives an expert overview of how bowel cancer develops and how it can be treated. He also urges anyone who has symptoms to visit a GP, and never to ignore your national screening kit.
Reaction on social media was extremely positive, with many reinforcing Prof Whitty’s message:
An excellent lecture from @CMO_England the message is clear. Early Diagnosis is THE best chance of a cure. Know the symptoms – a google of the main charities/NHS site will give you those #bowelcancer #oesophagealcancer #PancreaticCancer #Stomachcancer #digestivecancers https://t.co/ypO2Vmayqc
— Neil Barker (@BigWoofa) December 7, 2020
Thank you Prof Chris Whitty for lecture online @GreshamCollege about #Bowel #Cancer & #Digestive #Cancers Very informative & meaningful to me. 💛
— @BEAUTIFULMUMSIE (@BEAUTIFULMUMSIE) December 7, 2020
The full lecture is available on Gresham College’s YouTube below: