We believe that reliable, current information that’s based on scientific evidence should be available to everyone, not just to those who know how to find it. Stomach Cancer UK is a newly founded charity, and we are working hard to produce accessible, detailed information about all aspects of the disease, which has been medically reviewed.
Medical language and information can be dense and intimidating because it can seem like reports and meetings are all in a new language you cannot speak or understand. We think that seeing the medical terms you may encounter, along with how to pronounce them and what they mean, empowers you more than removing them for the sake of simplicity.
We believe that shared decision-making around treatment and care can help to reduce fear and overwhelm. The opportunity to talk openly about options, risks, benefits and your personal priorities with your doctors can help you regain some of the loss of control that a cancer diagnosis may bring. Information can help you effectively advocate for care that reflects your priorities and goals at all points in your experience of stomach cancer.
Through our live chat function or via email, we can point you to information, help you formulate questions to ask your team at meetings or highlight research or trials if they are available.
Getting support matters just as much as information, and we’re here to stand alongside you, whether you’re a patient, caregiver or survivor. We are here to listen and support you. Much of our team and core community have lived experience of stomach and oesophago-gastric cancers as patients, caregivers or as family members.
We are creating a variety of support spaces, from one-to-one live chat support to online community spaces and support groups, so that you can get the support you need in the form that works for you.
SCUK strongly feels that people in the UK deserve access to more and better treatments. Our stomach cancer outcomes lag behind other countries, and medicines which have been approved in European countries and the US are not yet available to us on the NHS.
This must change. We actively support research and drug application processes, and we advocate for fair access to new therapies so that patients are not left behind.
If you share our beliefs and would like to get involved to make a difference, please get in touch.