Why early check for oral cancer is so vital

Now health chiefs at NHS Yorkshire and the Humber are warning people of the dangers of oral cancers and encouraging them to attend their dentist for dental check-ups.

Consultant in dental public health for NHS Yorkshire and the Humber, Jenny Godson, said: "It is vital to go to your dentist for check-ups and not just to prevent tooth decay. A dentist is the person best placed to check a person's

all-round oral health.

"Oral cancers, like all cancers, are easier to treat, and a patient has a much better chance of making a full recovery, if they are identified early. If you feel there is something not quite right, don't ignore it, go to the dentist."

Eileen Parker, 76, from Shipley, who helped to start the support group, The Croakies, knows how dangerous and how distressing these forms of cancers can be. She had to have some of her tongue removed after being diagnosed with mouth cancer.

"If I didn't have The Croakies I'd be on my own – it's marvellous. The group is a great source of support," she said.

"We have a lot of sufferers who come here and, sadly, we lose a lot, that's how serious this condition is. My advice would be, go to your dentist or GP on a regular basis, as the sooner these cancers can be identified the better. Early diagnosis really is the key."

The Croakies Head and Neck Support Group was set up in March 2004 in order to provide support, advice and contact with others who have gone through treatment for head and neck cancer. Patients, their families and friends are welcome. Attending the group has helped many increase their confidence in social settings.

The group is keen to support each other and any new patient who needs further assistance. It is also contributing in a variety of ways to the development of head and neck cancer services in Bradford, Airedale and surrounding areas.

The group is not only a place for sufferers to meet and discuss their experiences, their families can also get involved and add another perspective to the discussions.

Sarah Cost, lead Macmillan head and neck cancer nurse specialist at Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, helps to organise The Croakies' meetings.

"When I first started as a Macmillan nurse, I recognised the benefit of support groups. They help people feel less isolated and more empowered," Sarah explains.

"Together with dieticians, speech and language therapists and a group of enthusiastic patients, we developed The Croakies support group.

"Unlike other forms of cancer, head and neck cancers are very visible, those who experience it are left with many long-term effects, including difficulty swallowing and speaking.

"The Croakies help sufferers and their families to realise they are not on their own and that there is life after cancer. They all have tips they can share with each other and they give each other lots of support.

"Despite their problems, they are a really confident group, they are happy to share their experiences, they even help to teach doctors and nurses and participate in research projects."

The group meetings are held on the second Friday of every month at noon until 2.30pm at Bradford Cancer Support Centre Daisy House Farm, 44 Smith Lane, Bradford, BD9 6DA.

www.thecroakies.org.uk

SIMPLE TEST THAT COULD GIVE A DIAGNOSIS IN 20 MINUTES

A new test for oral cancer, which a dentist could perform by using a brush to collect cells from a patients mouth, is to be developed by scientists in Yorkshire.

The international research team has been awarded $2m 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 present 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 microchip, and inserting the chip into the analyser, leading to a result in 8-10 minutes.

The team led by Professor Martin Thornhill, Professor of Oral Medicine at the University of Sheffield and a Consultant in Oral Medicine at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals, is carrying out clinical trials on patients at Charles Clifford Dental Hospital for two years to perfect the technology. If the trials confirm that the new technology is as effective as carrying out a biopsy then it could become a regular application at dentist surgeries.

If oral cancer is detected early, the prognosis for patients is excellent, with a five-year survival rate of more than 90 per cent. Unfortunately, many oral cancers are not diagnosed early and the survival rate is only about 50 per cent, among the lowest rates for all major cancers.

Professor Thornhill said: "This new affordable technology will significantly increase our ability to detect oral cancer in the future. Diagnosis currently involves removing a small piece of tissue from the mouth and sending it to a pathologist. This is typically done at a hospital, can take a week or more and involve extra visits for the patient.

"With the new technology, a brush would be used to painlessly remove a few cells from the lining of the mouth that would be analysed within minutes in the presence of the patient, so that the patient would know the result before leaving the clinic.

"This technology will make it easier for us to screen suspicious lesions in the mouth and separate non-cancerous lesions

from those where there is a risk of cancer and those where cancer has already developed. We have just started to recruit patients to a study that is designed to ensure that the new technology is at least as good as the old method at distinguishing these different types of lesion.

"Ultimately, dentists and doctors may be able to use this technology to check suspicious lesions in the mouth and reassure the vast majority of patients that they haven't got cancer without even having to send them to the hospital."