18% of delegates who volunteered for the oral cancer screening at this year’s Oncology Professional Care were referred for further investigation.

Led by The Swallows Head and Neck Cancer Support Group with the Mouth Cancer Foundation and London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust, 148 people were screened over two days using the OralID device by Forward Science. This device aids visualisation of abnormalities of the oral mucosal such as cancer and pre-cancer by using fluorescence technology.

2 in 5 people reported having one of the symptoms of head and neck cancer, such as tooth and gum problems (18%), bleeding in mouth, nose, or ear (7%), and sore or ulcer in the mouth (7%).

26 people were referred to the dentist, GP or hospital for further investigation based on their results of the screening. All of these have the potential to be cases of oral cancers.

Only 18% of volunteers were male, despite the fact that head and neck cancers disproportionately affect males.

Chris Curtis, Chief Executive Officer of The Swallows Head and Neck Cancer Support Group, said: “It is so important that the government introduce oral screening to identify early signs of head and neck cancer. Early diagnosis can save lives and as our results show, it really does identify cases for further investigation.”

Lucy Clarke, Event Manager of Oncology Professional Care, said: “The oral screening booth was an amazing initiative to have at Oncology Professional Care. The fact that such a simple 30 second procedure can save someone's life is something we need to highlight.”

You can read the full report from The Swallows Head and Neck Cancer Support Group online: bit.ly/3p5osWp

The Swallows Head and Neck Cancer Support Group is a nationwide cancer charity formed by like-minded cancer patients, designed to provide help to patients with head and neck cancers and their caregivers. See more information on the website.

The Swallows Head and Neck Cancer Support Group was selected as Oncology Professional Care’s Charity of the Year for 2023, to help raise awareness of the charity’s aim to support all people affected by head and neck cancers. Oncology Professional Care is a two-day conference and exhibition which brought together a record attendance of 1,364 multi-disciplinary healthcare professionals to learn about the latest developments in cancer care and treatment in May. You can register your interest in attending next year’s event on 21-22 May 2024 at ExCeL London online: oncologyprofessionalcare.co.uk/register-interest-2024

For delegate enquiries, please contact the team on opc@closerstillmedia.com.

For sponsorship, exhibition or speaking enquiries, please contact Lucy, Event Manager, on l.clarke@closerstillmedia.com.