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The development of mouth, head and neck cancer awareness in Ireland and results of Mouth Cancer Awareness Day 2011.

April/May 2012 VOLUME 58 (2) : 109 Introduction Cancer is a very important word, especially for those who have it. Both healthcare workers and the general public are very aware of the seriousness of breast, prostate and bowel cancer, but until recently, the Irish public were generally unaware of mouth cancer. This is despite many organisations, including the Dublin Dental University Hospital (DDUH), the Cork University Dental School & Hospital (CUDSH), the Faculty of Dentistry of the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI), ear, nose and throat/oral and maxillofacial courses, and various patient groups trying to highlight its importance. Mouth cancer is a serious condition and the effects of the disease, its treatment and its outcome can be catastrophic, if diagnosis is late. The oral cavity and face have a very significant nerve representation in our brain for good reason – we taste, smell, see, hear, feel, breathe, drink, chew, eat and swallow. These senses and functions are frequently affected if the disease presents late. The disease and its treatment may have serious psychological effects on our patients, as the results of treatment can be debilitating and disfiguring. Oral and pharyngeal cancer is the sixth most common form of cancer globally (all cancers = 405,300 per year), and oral cancer constitutes approximately 275,000 cases per year. More than 300 cases of cancer of the oral cavity and pharynx are reported in Ireland every year. In Britain, the incidence of mouth cancer has increased faster than any other cancer in the past 25 years (p63). If the disease is diagnosed early the prognosis is very good, with an 80% survival rate. If the disease presents at an advanced stage, the prognosis can be as poor as 15% or less. Overall, despite all advances in diagnosis and treatment, the prognosis is 50% five-year survival. In 2006, author Lia Mills was diagnosed with mouth cancer and she told her story at the launch of the 2011 Mouth Cancer Awareness Day (MCAD) in the Royal College of Physicians in Dublin. (An article based on Lia’s speech is featured on page 89-90 of this Journal.) During her treatment, Lia voiced her concern at the lack of information available to the Irish public regarding mouth cancer. Something to try and improve the prognosis was required, and this led to the development of ‘mouth cancer awareness’. During discussions, it became clear that an awareness campaign without informed and educated healthcare support might raise public concern without the ability to assess and hopefully reassure people. It was planned to include as many willing and informed healthcare workers (dentists initially) as possible in the campaign. These healthcare workers would require education, supportive documentation and a means to refer any Dr Denise MacCarthy 1 Senior Lecturer/Consultant Restorative Dentistry/Periodontology Dr Eleanor M O’Sullivan 2 Specialist Oral Surgeon Dr Conor McAlister General Dental Practitioner/ President IDA Dr Claire M Healy 1 Senior Lecturer/Consultant Prof. Stephen Flint 1 Professor/Consultant Oral Medicine Dr Mary Toner Senior Lecturer/Consultant Oral Pathology Prof. June Nunn 1 Dean, Dublin Dental University Hospital Prof. Finbarr Allen 2 Dean, Cork University Dental Hospital Ms Tina Gorman 1 Director of Nursing Dr Michael O’Sullivan 1 Senior Lecturer/Consultant Restorative Dentistry – Special Needs Prof. Leo F.A. Stassen 1,5 Professor/Consultant Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery