Cancers of the mouth, oropharynx and salivary glands are the 8th most common cancer. Recent figures report that in 2020 there were 377,713 new cases of oral, lip and oropharyngeal cancer worldwide and 177,757 deaths.
In Cyprus during the last 20 years, i.e. from 1999 to 2019, a total of 820 new cases of cancer of the oral cavity, salivary glands, oropharynx and tonsils (categories C0 - C10) have been recorded.
Investing in prevention and aiming to inform the public about the disease, the Dental Services of the Ministry of Health in collaboration with the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery of the Nicosia General Hospital, organize for the tenth consecutive year an awareness and prevention campaign on oral cancer, from December 5 to December 11, 2022. The event is supported by the School of Dentistry of the European University Cyprus.
As part of the campaign, on Friday, 9 December 2022, the public will be offered a free examination through the mobile dental units outside the Nicosia, Limassol, Larnaca Old Hospital and Paphos Hospitals. Throughout the campaign, relevant information material will be distributed at all Dental Clinics operating in public hospitals, as well as at the Nicosia General Hospital kiosk, while training seminars will be organised for Cypriot dentists in cooperation with the Dental Schools of the European University Cyprus, the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens and the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. At the same time, during the week, private dentists will offer free examinations to the public by appointment. On Friday 9 December 2022 at 13:15, a press conference will be held at the Cultural Centre of the European University, which will be attended by the Director General of the Ministry of Health
The risk of oral cancer increases particularly after the age of 40. The main predisposing factor for its development is smoking and alcohol consumption, while HPV and solar radiation have also been implicated in lip cancer. Clinically, oral cancer appears as a white or red plaque and as a sore or tumour, most commonly on the tongue and the floor of the mouth. Oral cancer can be diagnosed in time through proper self-examination which should be done by everyone once a month and through regular six-monthly visits to the dentist.
The importance of prevention and early diagnosis of oral cancer is vividly illustrated by data from the World Health Organization, which states that by adopting proper prevention strategies, new cases of cancer can be reduced by 30% and if oral cancer is detected at an early stage, the five-year survival rate increases from 50% to 80%.
(AF)
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