Dare you Calculate Your Cancer Risk Score

Yesterday, I came across a mention of QCancer, a program that works out your risk of having a current but as yet undiagnosed cancer. The programmes uses an algorithm based on data collected from many thousands of GPs across the country. 

Whilst it's aimed primarily at doctors and nurses in general practice, there's nothing stopping you from having a dabble for a spot of self-diagnosis. 

With cancer of various sorts in the extended family, I thought prudent to have a look. My results were neither reassuring nor particularly worrying, but I found it useful. I had three takeaways from using it.

Firstly, it made me consider the possibility and frame a potential conversation with my GP to be had at some point in the future. Secondly, by playing with my choices I was able to get some sense of what might be the issues that could increase lessen my risk, and finally I am in a position to act on those risk factors or talk to my GP about them.

Probably worth five minutes of my time.

www.qcancer.org