Worrying rise in oral cancer cases
10/14/2004 Wakefield, United Kingdom Gavin Murray Wakefield Today (wakefieldtoday.co.uk) Cases of oral cancer in the Wakefield district are way above the national average with eight new cases diagnosed every month, according to worried health specialists. Late diagnosis of the cancer, also known as head and neck cancer, may be a result of the growing number of people unable to register with a dentist in the district. But, if the cancer is caught early enough, it has a 90 per cent chance of being cured and is 75 per cent preventable. Julie Hoole, a Macmillan head and neck cancer nurse specialist working across Wakefield, wants to highlight the problem of the world's sixth most common cancer. She said: "Nationally there has been a 17 per cent increase in reported cases. Oral cancer or neck and head cancer is comparable with cervical cancer but it is less well-known." But during the last 30 years survival rates from this cancer have not improved, while treatments and medical technology has. This is due to patients being unaware they have the cancer and not seeking medical attention early enough. At the moment most referrals are made by dentists and not doctors. Mrs Hoole said: "A lot of people are having difficulty registering with dentists and we are not sure at the moment if this is the reason for the increase. But if people had the chance to visit dentists more often the cancer would be picked up quicker. Many sufferers only go to the doctors [...]