New data shows increase in late-stage diagnosis for head and neck cancer cases in Northern Ireland
New data shows that there has been an increase in late-stage diagnoses for head and neck cancer cases in Northern Ireland.
Data shared by Cancer Focus NI and the British Dental Association indicates that more patients are being diagnosed at an advantage stage. Between 2019 and 2020, the percentage of late-stage T3 and T4 tumours rose from 33.76% to 41.47% of cases. The number of referrals also fell by over 20% in 2020 due to the pandemic.
Following the publication of this new data and the launch of Mouth Cancer Action Month, the organisations have called for the Northern Ireland Cancer Strategy to be implemented to promote screening and speed up the process of diagnosing cases. Another key issue is improving access to routine dental appointments.
During dental checks, dentists examine the mouth, looking for abnormalities and symptoms and signs that could be linked to oral cancer.
A reduction in referrals teamed with a lack of routine dental appointments and screening could contribute to a significant increase in cases detected and diagnosed at a late stage in the months and years to come. Cancer Focus NI and the BDA in Ireland are calling for urgent action to lower risks and ensure that more patients are diagnosed early when treatment is more likely to be successful. Early treatment can increase survival rates by up to 90 per cent.
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