Incidences of mouth cancer Expand Last year, 8,772 people in the United Kingdom were diagnosed with mouth cancer. This means that one person in the UK is diagnosed with mouth cancer every hour. Mouth cancer is the 14th most common cancer in the UK. In men, mouth cancer is the 19th most common cancer in the UK, with around 5,877 new cases a year. In women, mouth cancer is the 15th most common cancer in the UK, with around 2,894 new cases a year. Most mouth cancers occur in the tongue. These make up around one in three cases for men and women. Mouth cancer is strongly associated with age. More than three in four (78%) mouth cancers are diagnosed in those over the age of 55.
Mortality Expand Around 2,702 people in the United Kingdom lose their life to mouth cancer every year. That's 7 people every day. Mouth cancer is the 17th most common cause of cancer death in the UK, accounting for around 2% of all cancers deaths. In men, mouth cancer in the 16th most common cause of cancer death in the UK, with around 1,868 deaths. In women, mouth cancer is the 18th most common cause of cancer death in the UK, with around 834 deaths. The most deadly mouth cancer is cancer of the tongue, accounting for over a quarter (29%) of all mouth cancer deaths last year. Men are far more likely to die from mouth cancer than women. Men account for 69% of mouth cancer deaths compared to only 31% for women. Deaths from mouth cancer are heavily linked to the stage of diagnosis.
Mouth cancer risk factors Expand Lifetime risk The estimated lifetime risk of being diagnosed with mouth cancer is around 1 in 55 (2%) for males, and 1 in 108 (less than 1%) for females born after 1960 in the UK. Smoking Around two-in-three (66%) mouth cancers are linked to smoking. The risk of being diagnosed with mouth cancer for a smoker is almost double (91%) that of a never-smoker. Mouth cancer risk is 35% lower in ex-smokers who quit 1-4 years previously, compared with current smokers. Mouth cancer risk is no higher in ex-smokers who quit 20+ years previously, compared with never-smokers. Mouth cancer risk is around 3 times higher in bidi smokers compared with bidi never-smokers. Smokeless tobacco Mouth cancer risk is up to four and a half times higher in smokeless tobacco users. This risk may be higher in females and for users of chewing types of smokeless tobacco. Alcohol Those who drink more than 10 units of alcohol a week could be increasing the risk of mouth cancer by 81%. Drinking alcohol to excess is linked to around a third (34%) of all mouth cancers. If you both smoke and drink to excess it can increase your risk of developing mouth cancer can be tripple. Human papillomavirus (HPV) The human papillomavirus (HPV) type-16 and 18 are linked to around three in four (73%) oropharyngeal cancers and more than one in ten (12%) oral cavity and hypopharynx cancers. Environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) Mouth cancer risk is 87% higher in never-smokers who have ever been exposed to ETS at home or work, compared with unexposed never-smokers. Mouth cancer risk is more than twice higher in never-smokers exposed to ETS at home or work for 15+ years, compared with unexposed never-smokers. Infections Mouth cancer risk is around twice higher in people with HIV/AIDS, compared with the general population. Organ transplant Mouth cancer risk is 2-5 times higher in organ transplant recipients compared with the general population. Family history Mouth cancer risk could be up to 70% higher in people with a family (particularly sibling) history of mouth cancer, versus those without such history, a pooled analysis showed.
Survival Expand Spotting mouth cancer early is crucial for beating the disease. Early detection boosts our chances of survival from 50% to 90%. Depending on where the cancer strikes, the one-year survival rate for mouth cancer is between 60% and 84%. Survival rate after 10 years drops to between 18% and 57%. Women have better one-year, five-year and 10-year survival rates compared to men. Hypopharyngeal cancer has the lowest survival rate standing at just over 60% after one year and around 18% after 10 years. Oropharyngeal cancer has the highest survival rate standing at just over 84% after one year and nearly 57% after 10 years. Tongue cancer 80% of men survive tongue cancer for at least one year. This is predicted to fall to 60% surviving for five years or more. Survival for women is similar with 81% surviving for one year or more, and 62% predicted to survive for at least five years. The ten year survival rate for tongue cancer is 50% in men and 54% in women. Oropharyngeal cancer 84% of men survive oropharyngeal cancer for at least one year, and this is predicted to fall to 66% surviving for five years or more. Survival for women is similar with 84% surviving for one year or more, and 66% predicted to survive for at least five years The ten year survival rate for oropharyngeal cancer is 57% in men and 59% in women. Oral cavity cancer 78% of men survive oral cavity cancer for at least one year, and this is predicted to fall to 54% surviving for five years or more. Survival for women is similar to men one year after diagnosis with 79% surviving for one year or more and higher than men at five years after diagnosis with 60% predicted to survive for at least five years. The ten year survival rate for oral cavity cancer is 42%% in men and 50% in women. Hypopharyngeal cancer 60% of men survive hypopharyngeal cancer for at least one year, and this is predicted to fall to 27% surviving for five years. Survival for women is similar with 61% surviving for one year or more, and 30% predicted to survive for at least five years. The ten year survival rate for hypopharyngeal cavity cancer is 18% in men and 23% in women.
Trends over time Expand In the last decade, cases have risen by 58% in the UK. Rates of mouth cancer has increased by an astonishing 97% over the last 20 years (England data only). The latest research says that deaths from mouth cancer in the UK have increased by 5% compared to last year. Sadly, the number of people losing their life to mouth cancer has also grown. The latest research says that deaths from mouth cancer have increased by 48% compared with ten years’ ago.
I need help promoting my Mouth Cancer Action event. Can you help me? Expand Yes. Our team is on hand to help you ensure your fundraising is as successful as it can be. From providing posters, sponsorship forms, social media and press release templates, help is on hand to help spread awareness. Here are our quick tips to making your event the talk of the town... Use local media: Local newsletters, daily papers, radio stations and television in your area are always keen on covering events for a good cause, so make them aware of the details of your event in good time! Some ingenious advertising of your own can also increase your audience. Hand out flyers: A cheap, effective way of promoting your event is to hand out flyers a few weeks in advance. Make them as interesting as possible: include all the key information such as the date, venue and type of event you have planned. Make sure people know about your event! Smile for the camera: Think about photo opportunities – local papers love to use fun, entertaining photos as a basis for covering of local events. Book a photographer, because a good photo is a great way of generating media coverage and makes an excellent memento of your successful event. Write a press release: Why not send out a press release too? It’s an excellent means of promoting a good oral healthcare message through your local media outlets to a large, local audience. Go social: Post about your event on social media. Create a fundraising page on our website and ask people to share it. You might be surprised about far far and wide it goes. Need more of a helping hand? That’s no problem. Contact our dedicated PR team who are experts in making some noise around events. Together we can help guide you on your fundraising journey.
How should I raise and collect funds from friends, family and supporters? Expand You can set up a personalised online by creating your very own donation page. This offers a really easy way for people to sponsor you and add messages of support to spur you on when the training gets tough. When creating your own fundraising page you can select where your money goes. You can choose to donate it to the Oral Health Foundation in general, to help us achieve all our charitable objectives, or select one of our rotating appeals, which help go towards a specific cause. You can then share your page on Facebook and Twitter to get the word out to all your friends and family. If you’re looking a bit low tech, we can also help support you with collection tins to collect some cash. You can also download and print off one of our sponsorship forms. More information: Create a fundraising page Sponsorship form for Mouth Cancer Action Contact our press team
How do you use the funds raised for Mouth Cancer Action? Expand Funds raised for our Mouth Cancer Action Appeal will be used to help make more people aware of the causes, signs and symptoms of mouth cancer so cases can both be prevented and caught early enough for effective intervention. Your support will also help us continue our drive to change behaviours which contribute to the majority of mouth cancer cases in the UK, such as minimum alcohol pricing and plain cigarette packaging. Your donations make a huge difference in helping us to save lives from mouth cancer. Without your support, Mouth Cancer Action Month would not be possible and you are the reason we are able to continue raising awareness of a disease that affects more and more people each year. You can be assured that your fundraising goes to exactly where you want it to. As a charity we are entirely open and honest with our intentions and show you what your fundraising goes towards.
How do I make a donation for Mouth Cancer Action? Expand You can send us your donations in various ways, whichever is most convenient for you. The safest and quickest way you can send us your money is online through our donations portal. Simply select which appeal you would like to donate to and enter the amount you have raised for us. You can also pay in your money offline too. If you have collected money through a sponsorship form or a fundraising event, you can either send us your card details via our donation form, or send us a cheque with our paying in slip. Both of these forms (links below) will guide you about where to send your donations. For your security, please do not send us cash in the post. Finally, you can issue a bank transfer. If you would like to do this, contact our team and we will guide you through this process. More information: Donate to the Oral Health Foundation Donate to our other causes Donation form Paying in slip Payroll giving
I want to fundraise for Mouth Cancer Action Month. What do I do? Expand Start by taking a look at our top fundraising ideas to help inspire you to get involved. If you’re not sure what you want to do, send us a message and we’ll be in touch to help you find the fundraising activity that’s perfect for you. If you're planning on doing a fundraising event during Mouth Cancer Action Month, why not arrange your event for Blue Wednesday? Once you have decided what you are doing and when, go to our create a fundraising page. This page will allow you to enter all your event details and share it with your friends and family so they can donate and support you. You can even upload photos and videos of your journey along the way! If you need anymore help, check out our planning your event page. We are also on hand to offer support and advice to help you achieve your fundraising goals. Simply contact our press team. More information: Create a fundraising page Planning your event Contact our press team
England (North) Expand The Swallows Head & Neck Cancer Support Charity Wendy Brown The Globe Centre, St James Square, Accrington BB5 0RE [email protected] / 07421 978193Mid Yorkshire Warblers Head and Neck Cancer Group Helen Chadwick Ward 7, Pinderfields General Hospital, Aberford Road, Wakefield, West Yorkshire, WF1 4DG 01924 542544Macmillan Head and Neck Support Group Margaret Doyle Macmillan Cancer Unit, Leighton Hospital, Middlewich Road, Crewe CW1 4QJ [email protected] / 01270 273665North East Laryngectome Club (T.A.L.K) Jean Fraser 9 Belsize Place, Daisy Hill, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE6 4EY [email protected] / 0191 284 7427 SLC Laryngectomee Club Mr Bertrum Culling 41 Elmsleigh Gardens, Cleadon Village, Sunderland, Tyne & Wear SR6 7PU [email protected] / 0191 536 9655 Preston and Chorley Laryngectomy Association John Rainford Fishwick Ramblers Working Mens Club, 11 Mornington Road, Preston PR1 4UL [email protected] / 01772 718548Greater Manchester News Speaker Club Frances Ascott Ear Nose and Throat Department, Manchester Royal Infirmary, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9WL [email protected] / 0161 276 4215New Horizons Jean Hallsworth Cribden House, Rossendale General Hospital, Lancashire, BB4 6NE [email protected]
England (South) Expand Heads2gether Reading IKEA, Pincents Kiln, Calcot, Reading RG31 7SD 0800 0234 550Heads2gether London Hammersmith Maggie Centre, Charing Cross Hospital, Fulham Palace Road, London, W6 8RF [email protected] / 020 7386 1750HANDS (Head And Neck Dorset Support) Claire Clark Hamworthy Library, Poole, Dorset, BH15 4BG [email protected] / 01202 442365 or 01202 442071Changing Faces The Squire Centre, 33-37 University Street, London, WC1E 6JN [email protected] / 0845 4500 275 Swallow Head and Neck Cancer Support UCLH NHS Foundation Trust, Head and Neck Outpatient Clinic, 5th Floor, Rosenheim Building, Grafton Way, London WC1 5DB [email protected] / 020 7380 6940THANCS Group Steve Grantham The Horizon Centre, 2 Bristol Gate, Brighton BN2 5BD [email protected] / 0800 783 1659
England (East) Expand Headstart - Head and Neck Support Group Kent Debbie Hannant West Sussex and surrounding areas Kent, West Sussex and surrounding areas [email protected] / 01634 825389Ipswich Head & Neck Cancer Support Group Amanda Ford The Education Centre, Ipwich Hospital, Heath Road, Suffolk, IP4 5PD Ipswich [email protected] / 01473 704361Head and Neck Support Group Astra Hall Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital outside the East Block Inpatients entrance. [email protected]Humberside Laryngectomy Club Tony Aveyard 13 Monmouth Street, Gipsyville, Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire HU4 6QL 01482 501311Crokus Club Peterborough Head and Neck Cancer Support Group is based in the Peterborough area and reaches out to a wide area including Norfolk, Lincolnshire, Rutland, Northamptonshire and Cambridgeshire. [email protected] / 07704366705Colchester Head & Neck Support Group Sally-Anne Philpott ENT Department Essex County Hospital, Lexden Road, Colchester, Essex CO3 3NB [email protected] / 01206 744783
England (West) Expand Heads2gether - Oxford Oxford Maggie’s Centre, The Patricia Thompson Building, Old Road, Oxford OX3 7LE 0800 0234 550The Swallows Head & Neck Cancer Support Charity Wendy Brown Pear Tree, Smite, Worcester, WR3 8SY WORCESTERSHIRE [email protected] / 07421 978193 Heads2gether - Swindon Swindon Tesco Swindon Extra, Community Room, Ocotal Way, Swindon SN1 2EH 0800 0234 550St Michaels Laryngectomee Club Jane Beckinsale c/o May Donovan, Speech Therapy, St Michaels Hospital, Bristol BS2 8EG [email protected] / 0117 9071519Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital Sarah Thomas The Head and Neck Department, The Royal Shrewsbury Hospital, Mytton Oak Road, Shrewsbury SY3 8HQ [email protected] / 01743 261499
Northern Ireland Expand Northern Ireland Cancer Network The Northern Ireland Cancer Network (NICaN) formed in 2004 and was Northern Ireland’s first Regional Clinical Network. NICaN does not actively deliver patient care but works in collaboration with Health and Social Care organisations, academic organisations, charities, cancer specialists and service users, to improve cancer services and to implement national and local NHS strategies. NICaN has a focus on delivering safe and effective care, improving cancer clinical outcomes and enhancing patients and carers experience and quality of life. On their website you can search for cancer networks and groups in your area. Link: Northern Ireland Cancer Network Clinical Support Services
Scotland Expand Heads Up Support Group Queen Elizabeth University Hospital, 1345 Govan Rd, Glasgow G51 4TF [email protected] / 0141 337 8199Laryngectomy Networking Group - Glasgow Highlands and Fife Maggies Centre Maggies Centre, Western Infirmary, 10 Dumbarton Road, Glasgow G11 6PA [email protected] / 0141 330 3311Tak Tent CHANGE (Stirling) Flat 5, 30 Shelley Court, Gartnavel Complex, Glasgow, Glasgow City G12 0YN [email protected] / 0141 211 0122Stobhill Laryngectomy Group Lynsey Bowie Stobhill Hospital, TJ Thompson Centre, Balornock Road, Glasgow, G21 3UW [email protected] / 0141 2013751Head and Neck Networking Group - Dundee Maggies Centre Maggies Centre, Ninewells Hospital, Tom McDonald Avenue, Dundee DD2 1NH [email protected] / 01382 632 999Speak Easy Pather Community Centre Ann Muir Caledonian Road, Wishaw, ML2 0HZ [email protected] / 01555 893 184Chinwags Laryngectomee Club Lindsay Reid c/o SLT Department, Glenrothes Hospital, 1 Lodge Rise, Glenrothes KY7 5TG [email protected] / 01592 740254Aberdeen Laryngectomy Club Margaret Singer Speech and Language Theraphy Centre, Aberdeen Royal Infirmary,Forester Hill, Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire AB25 2ZN [email protected] / 01224 553143Highland Laryngectomee and Family Support Group (LAFS) Iris Clarke Raigmore Hospital, Department of Speech and Language Therapy, Old Perth Road, Inverness, Highland IV2 3UJ [email protected] / 01463 705424
Wales Expand Shropshire and Mid Wales Laryngectomee Club Brian Turner 9 Ashford Way, Pontesbury, SY5 0QT Pontesbury [email protected] / 01743 243 208Macmillan Head and Neck Support Group Emma Harries Bro Myrddin Indoor Bowls Club, Picton Terrace, Carmarthen, SA31 3BT [email protected] / 01267248750
Mouth Cancer Action Month campaign resources Help us raise awareness of November's campaign and why it is so important. Expand Digital Toolkit Information about the campaign and how to support it, along with links to all downloadable resources. Download the digital toolkit Poster Print off this poster and place it around the workplace noticeboard or patient waiting rooms. Download campaign poster Social Media Graphics Post these social graphics on your social media pages. Social post 1 (landscape | square) Social post 2 (landscape | square) Social post 3 (landscape | square) Social post 4 (landscape | square) Social post 5 (landscape | square) Useful links: All digital downloads and resources for Mouth Cancer Action Month 2021 The Blue Ribbon Appeal Make a donation to Mouth Cancer Action Month
Mouth cancer signs & symptoms resources Posters and social media graphics raising awareness about the signs and symptoms of mouth cancer. Expand Signs & Symptoms Posters Print off these poster and place it around the workplace noticeboard or patient waiting rooms. Download mouth cancer signs & symptoms poster Download be mouthaware poster I Download be mouthaware poster II Social Media Graphics Post these social graphics on your social media pages. Social post 1 (landscape | square) Social post 2 (landscape | square) Social post 3 (landscape | square) Useful links: Digital downloads and resources The Blue Ribbon Appeal Make a donation to Mouth Cancer Action Month
Mouth cancer risk factor resources Posters and social media graphics on the risk factors associated with mouth cancer. Expand Posters Print off this poster and place it around the workplace noticeboard or patient waiting rooms. Download mouth cancer risk factor poster I Download mouth cancer risk factor poster II Download alcohol guidelines poster Social Media Graphics Post these social graphics on your social media pages. Social post 1 (landscape | square) Social post 2 (landscape | square) Social post 3 (landscape | square) Useful links: Digital downloads and resources The Blue Ribbon Appeal Make a donation to Mouth Cancer Action Month
State of Mouth Cancer Report The latest mouth cancer statistics and trends. Download the report and social media graphics to share online. Expand State of Mouth Cancer UK Report 2020/21 Information about the campaign and how to support it, along with links to all downloadable resources. Download the State of Mouth Cancer UK Report 2020/21 Social Media Graphics Post these social graphics on your social media pages. Social post 1 (landscape | square) Social post 2 (landscape | square) Social post 3 (landscape | square) Social post 4 (landscape | square) Social post 5 (landscape | square) Useful links: Digital downloads and resources The Blue Ribbon Appeal Make a donation to Mouth Cancer Action Month
Blue Wednesday 2021 resources Encourage people to do self checks for mouth cancer on 18 November for Blue Wednesday. Expand Social Media Graphics Post these social graphics on your social media pages. Social post 1 (square) Social post 2 (square) Social post 3 (square) #BakeSomethingBlue (square) Useful links: Digital downloads and resources The Blue Ribbon Appeal Make a donation to Mouth Cancer Action Month
Mouth cancer stories Posters and social media graphics of people telling their stories of beating mouth cancer. Expand Posters Print off these poster and place it around the workplace noticeboard or patient waiting rooms. Download Sarah's poster Download Kevin's poster Download Sinead's poster Social Media Graphics Post these social graphics on your social media pages. Sarah's post (landscape | square) Kevin's post (landscape | square) Sinead's post (landscape | square) Useful links: Digital downloads and resources The Blue Ribbon Appeal Make a donation to Mouth Cancer Action Month
Extra digital resources Download our template letter for MPs and local newspapers, a waiting room presentation and the 2020 campaign logos. Expand Fundraising activities for Mouth Cancer Action Month We have developed a toolkit with fundraising tools such as Blue Wednesday themed quizzes and photo props, sponsorship forms and social media prompts to help your fundraising activities go smoothly. Download the fundraising activity toolkit here Template letter for dental professionals to send to local MPs We are asking dental professionals to support this year's Mouth Cancer Action Month by sending this template letter to your local MP. The letter hopes to raise awareness of mouth cancer amongst MPs and highlight the need to keep dental practices open during the pandemic. Download the template letter for local MPs Press release template for dental practices and health professionals Print off this poster and place it around the workplace noticeboard or patient waiting rooms. Download the press release template MP press release template This template allows MPs to support the messages of Mouth Cancer Action Month and raise awareness of mouth cancer amongst their constituents. Download the press release template for MPs Waiting room presentation Share important mouth cancer messages in waiting rooms with this short presentation. Download the waiting room presentation Mouth Cancer Action Month 2021 logo Download this year's campaign logos and use them to support Mouth Cancer Action Month in your own marketing and media materials. Download this year's campaign logo Useful links: Digital downloads and resources The Blue Ribbon Appeal Make a donation to Mouth Cancer Action Month