Dallas Star Dies From Mouth Cancer
Larry Hagman, star of hit TV show Dallas, has died a year after being diagnosed with cancer of the tongue.
Hagman, who played cult character JR Ewing, was diagnosed with mouth cancer in October last year and passed away last Friday at the age of 81.
He is one of a number of high profile names affected by the disease: Geoffrey Boycott, actor Michael Douglas and radio presenter Danny Baker have all been diagnosed with the disease.
News of Larry’s death has come in the middle of Mouth Cancer Action Month and the British Dental Health Foundation is hoping people will take note of the news stories and take steps to try and reduce their risk of developing the condition.
Chief executive of the BDHF, Dr Nigel Carter, said that “Larry’s passing is a reminder of how deadly mouth cancer can be” and added that although Larry was 81 when he died, the demographic affected by mouth cancer is changing with more and more people aged under 40 being diagnosed with the disease.
Research shows that a third of British people are unsure if they are at risk of the disease and public awareness of the causes and symptoms remains low, despite the fact that the number of cases being diagnosed has almost doubled in the last decade. The most recent figures predict that 60,000 people will be affected by mouth cancer in the next ten years with half of those people expected to lose their lives.
Dr Carter said that Mouth Cancer Action Month is a chance to educate people about the causes and symptoms of mouth cancer and to encourage as many people as possible to attend a screening session and stick to regular dental check-ups, which can help dentists to detect early warning signs and improves survival rates by up to 90 per cent.
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