Lack of awareness

Despite the recent case of actor Michael Douglas, who is suffering from advanced throat cancer, the answers from over 1,000 members of the public who were questioned in the survey for Mouth Cancer Action Month reveal that there is only limited knowledge and understanding of this potentially deadly disease. One person in 10 claimed not even to have heard of mouth cancer.

Chief executive of the foundation, Nigel Carter, said: ‘After recent high profile coverage of the Michael Douglas case it is staggering to see that some people still have no awareness at all of the condition. It is vital that the public have a greater awareness because survival rates increase massively with early detection from just 50 percent to 90 percent. The public need to be aware of the risk factors and whether they are in a high risk group and how they can self-examine or who they can turn to if they’re concerned.’