Setting the tone

ʻWhen in doubt, get it checked out’ is the message used to promote Mouth Cancer Action Month, which has been established for over 20 years. The campaign aims to educate people about the signs of a problem with mouth cancer, the risk factors and the importance of being mouth aware. The latter is crucial because, for successful prevention, a patient must be willing to take ownership of their health. Their motivation will depend on them knowing why they should be mouth aware and how they can drastically reduce their odds of oral cancer.

Mouth Cancer Action Month happens every November, so there is currently a lot of content out there, but it needs to land with your patients. Around this time last year, there were warnings about the drop in oral cancer referrals, as well as the increase in the number of people presenting with a more advanced form of the disease. We were at a different stage in the pandemic then, but the picture isn’t much rosier now. Time is something that anyone affected by cancer desperately needs, and the impact of millions of lost opportunities for early diagnosis could be felt for years.