People of all ages are being urged to ‘get on board’ a health bus in Birmingham to help prevent them joining the growing number of cases of head and neck cancer.

More than 150,000 new cases of head and neck cancer are estimated each year across Europe, with more than 60,000 deaths, which has prompted the European Head and Neck Society (EHNS) to launch the annual Make Sense campaign, to raise awareness of the disease across the UK and Europe.

Specialists from across the continent are coming together for a European-wide awareness week, starting on Monday 21 September with UK Awareness Day.

A health bus will be in Birmingham City Centre on Wednesday 23 September, which has been designated Early Diagnosis Day, for people to discuss any concerns or symptoms with a team of consultants from Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham (QEHB).

Head and neck cancer accounts for five per cent of all cancers globally, with more than 600,000 new cases worldwide in 2008, leading to more than 350,000 attributable deaths.

‘Head and Neck Cancer’ describes a group of cancers, such as throat, mouth, saliva glands, nose and bones of the jaw.

The Make Sense Campaign aims emphasise the key message that earlier diagnosis and referral can boost the five year survival rate from less than 50% in late diagnoses to more than 85% for cancers that are found earlier.

Head and neck cancer is often diagnosed at a late stage as patients and primary care providers do not always recognise the symptoms. A European-wide survey found that three-quarters of respondents were not familiar with the signs.

Head and neck cancer is now the sixth most common cancer worldwide following a significant increase in the global incidence of cases in the last decade, particularly among women, although men are still 2-3 times more likely to develop the condition.

And, while it is most common in people over the age of 40, there has been a recent increase in younger people developing the disease.

The risks are greater for people who smoke and drink, while the incidence of throat cancer is rising due to certain sub-types of the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) infection.

More than 30 to 40 types of HPV are typically transmitted through sexual contact. HPV infection is also a cause of nearly all cases of cervical cancer.

An audit by the Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC) showed that 51.6% of oropharynx patients have a recorded HPV test, with 78.9% of these proving positive.

The health research bus will be in Edgbaston Street, next to the Bullring shopping centre and the Indoor Market, from 10:00 to 15:00 on Wednesday 23 September.

It will be staffed by consultants and nurses from QEHB throughout the day to screen and give advice about head and neck cancer.

To help identify possible symptoms, leading head and neck cancer experts have devised the ‘One for Three’ test for patients and healthcare practitioners.

Individuals are encouraged to visit the clinic for a free screening, if they have experienced one of the following symptoms for three weeks:

• Sore tongue, non-healing mouth ulcers and/or red or white patches in the mouth
• Pain in the throat
• Persistent hoarseness
• Pain and/or difficulty swallowing
• Lump in the neck
• Blocked nose on one side or blood discharge from the nose

 For more information about the campaign please visit the Make Sense Campaign website (see below).