Mouth and Throat Cancer Awareness
We are encouraging people to ‘open wide’ and check for symptoms of mouth and throat cancers.
Incidence of mouth and throat cancers have almost doubled in the last ten years and fewer people are having regular check-ups with a dentist.
With less than 20% of people able to name a symptom of mouth and throat cancers, the campaign aims to improve awareness of the key signs to look out for.
Mouth cancer
• an ulcer which doesn’t heal
• red and white patches in the mouth
• unusual lumps or swellings in the mouth
Throat Cancer
• difficulty swallowing or chewing
• a persistent sore throat or ear pain
• an unexplained lump in your neck
• hoarseness or other changes to the voice
Please contact your GP surgery or dentist if you experience any of these symptoms for three weeks or more.
The Mouth Cancer Foundation have a useful self-examination guide on their website.
Visit the Cancer Matters Wessex webpage today for more information, support and tips about how you can reduce your risk of mouth and throat cancers.
Lung Cancer Awareness
You don’t have to smoke to develop lung cancer.
Have you heard of the lung health check? A lung health check is a screening for lung cancer. If you are aged between 55 and 75 years old, a current or ex-smoker, and registered with a GP in a screening catchment area then you will be invited to take part in the screening pathway.
Lung cancer screening aims to detect cancer at an earlier stage, when curative treatment is more likely. This is because at an early stage, lung cancer often has no signs or symptoms. For more information visit Cancer Research UK.
Oesophageal Cancer Awareness
Not all heartburn is harmless.
Persistent heartburn isn’t just uncomfortable – it could be a warning sign of oesophageal cancer, a deadly disease that often goes unnoticed. Over-the-counter medication, such as Gaviscon or Rennie, should only be used as a short-term solution. If symptoms persist for three weeks or more, contact your GP and get it checked.
For more information visit Heartburn Cancer UK.
Bowel Cancer Awareness
Are you aged between 56 and 74 and registered with a GP?
Then you will have been sent a home bowel screening kit called a FIT (faecal immunochemical test). A FIT kit can be used to collect a sample of your stool (faeces) that is sent to a laboratory to look for microscopic amounts of blood.
Small traces of blood in your stool can be a result of other medical causes, not necessarily cancer. But if it is cancer, then diagnosing it early means there are more treatment options available.
If you are aged 75 or over, you can ask for a bowel screening kit every two years by calling the free screening helpline on 0800 707 6060. For more information on bowel screening visit the Cancer Matters Wessex website.