NHS – Oral Cancer News

Resident launches campaign after lack of access to NHS dentists leaves him with cancer

Source: www.winsfordguardian.co.uk Author: Jessica Farrington A Winsford resident who was diagnosed with tongue cancer after being unable to access NHS dentistry has launched a campaign to improve local services. Philip Carden faced ‘unacceptable barriers’ when trying to get an NHS dentist appointment within his hometown. The 60-year-old was eventually diagnosed with cancer of the tongue following months of infection, pain and delay and does not want this to happen to anyone else. This lack of accessibility locally pre-dated the Covid dentistry crisis as Philip had been unable to access NHS dentistry within Winsford prior to the first lockdown. In the end, it was a doctor who saw Philip, after he was given no other option, other than travelling on 12 different buses to be seen by an NHS dentist. Philip said: “I was trying to find a dentist in the town – I had broken my tooth and it hit my tongue. “I went to the doctors and they saw me straight away. “The doctor had a look and she was shocked, she said it looked like a tumour. “I was very, very lucky. “The doctors helped me out but it shouldn’t have been through them.” Philip approached local councillor Mandy Clare to help him launch a public campaign, who took advice from the British Dental Association. Councillor Clare said: “The UK Government must urgently address the NHS dentistry crisis for everyone and they must also ensure equality of access to those on low incomes. “It’s not fair that being [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2021-12-25T08:06:21-07:00December, 2021|Oral Cancer News|

World’s largest trial Of “Game-Changer” early cancer test begins in UK

Source: www.iflscience.com Author: Maddy Chapman Yesterday, England's National Health Service (NHS) launched the world’s largest trial of a blood test that can detect more than 50 types of cancer before symptoms appear. The trial aims to recruit 140,000 volunteers from different ethnic backgrounds, aged between 50 and 77, and living in eight areas across England. The test itself, the Galleri test, is a simple blood test that checks for the earliest signs of cancer. Ideally, it can be used to identify cancers at their earliest stages – stage one or two. When it comes to detecting cancer, the earlier the better. A diagnosis at stage one can increase chances of survival by five to 10 times, compared to a diagnosis at stage four. The new test, developed by healthcare company GRAIL, is particularly effective at identifying cancers that are difficult to diagnose early – head and neck, bowel, lung, pancreatic, and throat cancers, for example. “This quick and simple blood test could mark the beginning of a revolution in cancer detection and treatment here and around the world,” NHS chief executive Amanda Pritchard said in a statement. “By finding cancer before signs and symptoms even appear, we have the best chance of treating it and we can give people the best possible chance of survival.” The Galleri test works by identifying fragments of DNA that have been shed by tumors into the bloodstream. Participants in the trial, who must not have received a cancer diagnosis in the last three years, [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2021-09-15T06:09:46-07:00September, 2021|Oral Cancer News|

NHS to trial blood test that detects over 50 early-stage cancers

Source: www.sciencefocus.com Author: Sara Rigby, PA Science A blood test that may be able to spot more than 50 types of cancer will be piloted by the NHS, chief executive Sir Simon Stevens has announced. Developed by US-based company Grail, the test checks for molecular changes. The Galleri blood test, which can detect early stage cancers through a simple blood test, will be piloted with 165,000 patients in a deal struck by NHS England. NHS England said research on patients with signs of cancer suggests the test can identify many types that are difficult to diagnose early, such as head and neck, ovarian, pancreatic, oesophageal and some blood cancers. If the programme shows that the test also works as expected for people without symptoms, it will be rolled out to become routinely available. The test could help meet the NHS goal of increasing the proportion of cancers caught early, which can be the key to reducing cancer mortality. Patients who have their condition diagnosed at stage one – when the tumour is small and hasn’t spread – typically have between 5 and 10 times the chance of surviving compared with those found at stage four – when it has spread to at least one other organ. “While the good news is that cancer survival is now at a record high, over a thousand people every day are newly diagnosed with cancer,” said Stevens. “Early detection – particularly for hard-to-treat conditions like ovarian and pancreatic cancer – has the potential to [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2020-11-29T15:12:54-07:00November, 2020|Oral Cancer News|

New dentist test to detect oral cancer will save lives

Source: The University of Sheffield Author: Lauren Anderson A new test for oral cancer, which a dentist could perform by simply using a brush to collect cells from a patient´s mouth, is set to be developed by researchers at the University of Sheffield and Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. The international research team, involving scientists in Sheffield, has been awarded $2 million from the USA´s National Institutes of Health to develop the test, which could provide an accurate diagnosis in less than 20 minutes for lesions where there is a suspicion of oral cancer. The current procedure used to detect oral cancer in a suspicious lesion involves using a scalpel to perform a biopsy and off-site laboratory tests which can be time consuming. The new test will involve removing cells with a brush, placing them on a chip, and inserting the chip into the analyser, leading to a result in 8-10 minutes. This will have a number of benefits including cutting waiting times and the number of visits, and also cost savings for the NHS. The team in Sheffield, led by Professor Martin Thornhill, Professor of Oral Medicine at the University of Sheffield and a Consultant in Oral Medicine at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals, has begun carrying out clinical trials on patients at Charles Clifford Dental Hospital for two years to perfect the technology and make it as sensitive as possible. If the trials confirm that the new technology is as effective as carrying out a biopsy then it could [...]

Charlotte Parker2010-08-22T17:55:41-07:00August, 2010|Oral Cancer News|

‘Poor knowledge’ on cervical cancer

Source: The Press Association Author: Staff More than one in three girls does not know the causes of cervical cancer despite the "Jade Goody effect", a new poll suggests. A total of 38% of girls said they were unaware of the causes even though Goody - a former Big Brother star - raised the profile of the disease. Goody died in March aged 27 after a battle with the cancer, which had spread around her body. Anecdotal evidence from across the NHS suggests the number of women attending cervical screening has shot up as a result of her story. The poll of girls aged 12 to 18 was carried out for GlaxoSmithKline, which makes the Cervarix vaccine to protect against Human papillomavirus (HPV), which causes most cases of cervical cancer. Of the 255 girls questioned, 5% thought "sexual promiscuity" caused cervical cancer. Another 11% said "a type of virus" caused it but only 6% knew the HPV virus did. When the findings were compared with a survey of 139 girls aged 16 to 18 carried out before Goody was diagnosed, 40% said they did not know what caused the disease and 6% pointed to HPV. This could suggest that knowledge about HPV has not increased despite Goody's diagnosis. The more recent survey also found that 40% of girls thought a family history of the disease was a major factor in getting cervical cancer. Girls aged 12 to 13 are currently being vaccinated against HPV as part of an NHS campaign. [...]

Charlotte Parker2009-06-08T17:11:12-07:00June, 2009|Oral Cancer News|

Government slams Tory claim that dentists overcharge patients

Source: www.dentistry.co.uk Author: staff Dentists are overcharging patients by up to £109 million a year, by calling them back too often and splitting up treatments, according to the Conservatives. Analysis of appointments earlier this year suggested too many healthy patients were being recalled for check up and that treatments were being separated into separate courses, with separate costs. Calculations by the Conservatives suggest that the extra cost paid in patient charges last year was £109 million. The figure is 23% of the £475 million overall that patients pay in dentist charges every year. Andrew Lansley, the Shadow Health Secretary, said: ‘Labour's management of NHS dentistry has been appalling. Not only have millions been left without a dentist, but now we learn that those who do have one are often being charged more money than they should be. ‘The blame here lies with Labour's botched dental contract, which incentives dentists to increase the number of charges to patients and has led to such drastic cuts in the number of people being able to find an NHS dentist. ‘The Government urgently needs to admit that the dental contract has been a monumental failure, get a grip and put an end to these practices immediately. At the moment we're all losing out – those who do have a dentist are paying wrongful charges and those who don't are being blocked from finding one because there aren't enough appointments left.' Asking every Primary Care Trust (PCT) in the country how many patients had been [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2008-12-23T17:13:57-07:00December, 2008|Oral Cancer News|