July is Head and Neck Cancer Awareness Month, with the high point of promotions being World Head and Neck Cancer Day on 27 July.
The month-long event aims to create better understanding of what head and neck cancer is, what the warning signs are and how it can be treated, wrapped around a global awareness raising event dedicated raising the profile of the grouping of cancers among the general public and “acknowledge the impact it has on people affected in our community.”
Head & Neck Cancer Australia (HANCA) has a created a number of but the item likely to be of greatest benefit to ADA members are the two new resources, contributed to by the ADA, which launched in March this year and which draw on the knowledge and experience of Dr Felix Sim, oral and maxillofacial surgeon and Dr Matthew Magarey, ENT, head and neck surgeon.
Specifically designed to equip dentists and GPs to understand head and neck cancers better, the resources mean these health professionals will be able to, among other things, identify specific signs and symptoms of head and neck cancer in comparison to non-malignant lesions and select the optimal referral pathway for patients with suspected head and neck cancer.
Members can also access a webinar on the topic, The changing face of head and neck cancer: it is not always the usual suspect, presented by Dr Peter Norton , Dr Felix Sim , Associate Professor Puma Sundaresan and Nadia Rosin, the CEO of Head and Neck Cancer Australia.