The Cancer Awareness Measure ‘Plus’ (CAM+)
The Cancer Awareness Measure ‘Plus’ (CAM+) is a survey that regularly collects nationally representative data about the UK public’s attitudes, awareness and behaviours across key early diagnosis, screening and prevention topics. Cancer Research UK use CAM+ results to inform strategic, operational and communication plans, and to develop behavioural interventions and shape the development of appropriate policy.
How can CAM+ be used?
CAM+ can be used at national and local levels to monitor attitudes, awareness and behaviours over time; compare attitudes, awareness and behaviours between groups; conduct behavioural diagnoses to identify targets for behavioural interventions, and monitor the impact of awareness-raising and behaviour change interventions. You don’t need permission to use CAM+.
Topics
The most recent CAM+ survey (September 2023) includes measures on the following topics:
- Help-seeking and re-presentation for potential cancer symptoms
- Attitudes towards and experiences of remote consultations
- Barriers and prompts to help-seeking
- Facilitators of attending hospital tests
- Awareness of cancer risk factors
- Awareness of signs and symptoms of cancer
- Past uptake of, intentions to take part in, and barriers to uptake of bowel, breast and cervical screening
We are revalidating the CAM+ survey. The revalidated survey will be made available on the CAM+ website in 2025.
Adapting and translating the CAM+
Interested in adapting and translating the CAM+ survey? Find useful information in our FAQs.
The CAM+ is a really helpful set of data around cancer symptom help-seeking and screening attitudes and behaviours. We have used it to understand where and how to develop our local interventions, especially in deprived communities, with our Public Health colleagues.
Dr Pawan Randev FRCGP MRCP(UK)
East Midlands Cancer Alliance CRUK Primary Care Lead
Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland ICB Cancer Lead
Current CAM+ projects
Cancer Research UK and University of Kent Research Partnership: Applying social and behavioural research to enhance cancer prevention, diagnosis, screening, and treatment
As part of a collaborative partnership between the Centre for Health Services Studies (CHSS) at the University of Kent and the Evidence and Implementation Department at Cancer Research UK we are:
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Revalidating the CAM+ survey. The revalidated CAM+ survey will be made available on the CAM+ website in 2025.
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Exploring trends over time in awareness of cancer symptoms and barriers to help-seeking, including variation by socio-demographic groups.
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Conducting systematic reviews on topics relevant to the CAM+ survey.
The history of CAM+
Cancer Research UK, University College London, Kings College London and University of Oxford developed and validated the original Cancer Awareness Measure (CAM) survey in 2007-2008 to address the lack of a validated measure of general public cancer awareness. We also developed a series of cancer specific CAMs. These surveys were designed to be administered as an interview either face-to-face or over the telephone.
From 2008 onwards, Cancer Research UK has regularly collected CAM/CAM+ data. The intervals between data collection have varied but from 2020, data was collected every six months. In future, we will collect data annually.
Since 2014 we have continually updated, modified and expanded the questions in response to external changes and evidence gaps, with subsequent versions of the survey referred to as CAM ‘Plus’ (CAM+), to recognise the additional questions and significant changes to the original survey instrument. In 2019 we re-designed the survey to enable data to be collected online.
Access past data
CAM and CAM+ data is available on the UK Data Archive for any interested party to use to conduct further analysis. Future CAM+ data is added as and when it is available to do so.
CAM and CAM+ archive
Past surveys, reports and publications are available on our archive page, along with answers to frequently asked questions about using the surveys.
Contact us
Dr Vicky Whitelock is a Health Research and Evaluation Manager and leads the Cancer Awareness Measure ‘Plus’ portfolio of work.